Thrice Defied
by glassycry
Summary: Their journey may have only been ten years long, but to them, it was a lifetime. This is the story of Lily and James Potter from their first year at Hogwarts all the way until the tragic day they lost their lives. Multi-Chapter. Rating is for later chapters. L/J with lots of Marauders thrown in.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – This story is my version of how Lily and James' lives played out from their first day at Hogwarts until the extremely tragic day that they died. **

**It is going to be multi-chaptered fic. It will start out slow at first but pick-up, I promise! I will be going back and forth between James' POV and Lily's POV but it will mainly be James'.**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

**Anything that you recognize is indeed from the beautiful mind of J.K. Rowling, but check the end of the chapter to see where to find the excerpts I used and tweaked slightly. **

**Now, without further preamble, here is Chapter 1!**

* * *

September first seems to be taking forever to come around this year, but come it does. For James Potter this means his very first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

James stands in front of his mirror double checking his appearance. His mother told him to wear his best Muggle attire for the journey into King's Cross Station and he will change into his Hogwarts robes when he's on the train. He tugs at the blue jumper to make sure it sits right and looks up into the mirror again. He is of average height and weight for an eleven-year-old boy and his hazel eyes shine back at him with excitement behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

"This is it." He tells his reflection. "This is what you've been waiting for."

He nervously tries to flatten his unruly jet black hair, but it's pointless. Grabbing his wand from his dresser he makes his way down to the kitchen. His father had promised him years ago that he would take James to King's Cross Station on his first day via Side-Along Apparition. _This_, James thinks,_ is going to be the best day of my life._

"Are you ready Jamie, dear?" his mother asks him trying futilely to tame his hair. James grimaces at the nickname. He always gets annoyed when his mother calls him by these silly names. _Jamie or Jamesy or Jimmy… yuck, _James thinks.

On one occasion, that James will never forget, he had snapped at his mother for using the names in front of his friends. He had told her that he hated the nickname and it made him feel like a baby. She had nearly cried and his father pulled him aside and told James that he was his mother's "special gift" and that he had to let her use any nickname she wants because they make her happy. So James stopped complaining at the nicknames, they are still annoying, but the way his father spoke that day told him to let it be. James' parents are older than most of his friend's parents, but it doesn't bother him. At eleven your parent's age doesn't seem to matter much.

"More than ready!" he replies excitedly.

His father claps him on the shoulder. "A day of firsts for you James, are you sure you still want to try Side-Along Apparition?"

"Yes. I have been waiting forever for this!" James tells his father bouncing up and down with anticipation.

"Alright then, hold on tight and don't squirm." He instructs and holds out his arm.

James' father is a tall man with grey hair that seems to be just as unruly as James'. He has bright blue eyes and a very strong chin. Most people say that James looks exactly like his father did at his age, except the eyes. He has his mother's eyes. His mother is nearly as tall as his father, just a few centimeters shorter. Her light grey, almost white, hair is always pulled up into a loose bun. She has a smile on her thin face and her eyes sparkle hazel like James' behind her square glasses.

James takes his father's arm and grips tightly waving with his other arm to his mother. She will be Apparating with James' trunk right behind them. With a small turn and a pop he feels his insides begin to compress and his lungs feel like they will be squished, and then it's over. He stumbles slightly when they land and his father steadies him.

"How do you feel son?" James looks up into his father's face and smiles.

"That was brilliant!" Sure it wasn't the most pleasant feeling, but James loves the idea of being able to just disappear in one place and appear in a whole other place in a matter of seconds. No amount of discomfort could take away from how cool that is. He can hardly wait until he can do it on his own.

James' father pushes the trolley carrying his trunk behind them as they walk into the station. James stares at the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten with excitement. Just behind that wall is Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The place that holds the train that will take him to a school of magic. The school where his father learned to play Quidditch. The school where his parents met. This place that means so much to them both will surely mean just as much to him. How could it not?

James takes the barrier at a slight run, a bit nervous that he might crash into it, but the next moment he is standing on the platform staring at the scarlet steam engine that will be his ride. James' parents appear behind him and they walk down the platform.

"Martha, darling! Over here!" James turns to see Mrs. Macdonald and her husband standing a few feet away with their adoptive daughter Mary.

James' mother and Mrs. Macdonald have been best friends since before James was born. They both belong to the same clubs and committees and spent quite a bit of time putting together different parties or teas. James used to hate it when his mother would drag him along to such things, always being bored because none of the other women had any children James' age. That was until Mary came along.

Mr. Macdonald works for the Ministry of Magic as a member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad and took a call to a Muggle orphanage one day about two years ago. It had been chaos. The skin of three young girls had turned the color of lilac and the matron couldn't explain why. They didn't eat anything funny or get into any chemicals, nor did they have access to any markers or paints. Mr. Macdonald had realized right away what must have happened.

He spotted Mary then, she was sitting alone crying on the swing. When he'd asked her what happened she told him she didn't want to hurt them, just wanted them to stop teasing her about the lilacs she had picked for the potential parents. The other girls had told her she was a freak and no amount of lilacs could ever make someone want to adopt her. She had just wished for them to go away and to stop teasing her and their skin turned lilac.

Mr. Macdonald had been so impressed by the little girl that he said he fell in love instantly. He went home and got Mrs. Macdonald and they came straight back to the orphanage and adopted Mary. They had explained everything to her, about the Wizarding world, what she was and what she could do. James had met her a month or so later, and found her life just as interesting as she found his. He taught her how to ride a broomstick and she taught him how to ice skate. She is his closest friend.

Most of the other children he plays with are Muggles and he always has to be careful about what he says or does around them, so it was a relief when Mary showed up. She's adventurous, outspoken, and often loud. Mary is fun. Unlike the other pure-blood kids his mother forces him to spend time with. All they ever talk about are what nice robes they have and what expensive items they'll need to get for Hogwarts. _Strange how people pass their bad habits onto their children_. He smiles as his father runs his hand through his messy grey hair. _I hope that's the only bad habit I get from dad, _he thinks and chuckles to himself.

James waves at Mary as they approach. "Hey Mary, excited?" He asks her.

"Oh yes, very. I could hardly sleep last night. I still can't believe it's real." He smiles at her.

"It's real." He confirms and points to the Hogwarts express as if to prove his point. She nods and they listen for a minute as their parents exchange pleasantries and their mother's start to gossip about what someone named Ellen served at tea the other day.

"Want to grab a compartment?" He asks Mary and she nods. As they are saying goodbye to their parents a gaggle of screaming girls converges on them.

"Mary!" They screech. "Aren't you so excited?"

"I am I can't wait!" The girls giggle and James rolls his eyes, girls can be so tiresome sometimes. Annoyed and unwilling to listen to the nonsense anymore, James heads off to get a compartment on his own. Mary will find him when she is done with all that girly stuff.

He finally finds an empty compartment near the middle of the train and he has a bit of a struggle putting his trunk in the luggage rack. He takes a seat near a window hoping to catch Mary's eye. He sees his parents still chatting with Mary's and sees her still standing with the girls laughing and he sighs. _She better hurry up or the train will leave without her_. The compartment door slides open and a very handsome boy walks in with his long dark hair falling into his face.

"Room in here for another?" He asks a small smile playing on his lips. James nods and helps the boy put his trunk in the luggage rack. When it's tucked away safely James turns to him.

"I'm James Potter." He states holding out his hand.

"Sirius Black." He says taking James' hand. They sit down opposite each other in the seats closest to the door.

"So how cool is it that we are on our way to Hogwarts?" James asks.

"Very. I've been waiting for years to get here." Sirius says as he lounges across the seat. James waits, thinking that he is going to add to that, but when he doesn't they fall silent for a moment.

James tries to think of something interesting to say when a knock comes at the door. He looks up to see a small girl with vivid red hair that has been pulled into pig tails and bright green eyes that look blood-shot and puffy. On closer examination he sees that her nose is red and he realizes she's been crying. He hates when girls cry. It's even worse than when they giggle or scream. Girls are such babies, Mary cries all the time.

"I was wondering if I could sit in here. The rest of the train is full." She asks in a small defeated voice. James glances at Sirius.

"Uh… sure."He answers and they stand and load her trunk into the luggage rack for her. She thanks them in the same small voice and sits in the seat closest to the window. James watches as she curls her legs under her and lets her head rest on the window as a small tear runs down her cheek. He shoots Sirius a 'what should we do' look and Sirius shrugs as he takes his seat again. James follows suit.

"So, you follow Quidditch?" Sirius asks and they were off talking about their favorite teams and famous games they'd been to while the girl just sits and cries silently by the window. They had nearly forgotten she was there when the compartment door slides open yet again and a rather greasy looking boy steps in, already in his Hogwarts robes. Without as much as a nod or glance in either Sirius or James' direction he takes the seat directly across from the crying red-head. The two begin to talk in soft tones and James wonders vaguely if this greasy boy is the reason for her tears.

"So d'you have any siblings at Hogwarts?" Sirius asks him and James pays no more attention to the pair seated near the window.

He shakes his head and replies. "I'm an only child. What about you?"

"I have a younger brother. He'll be starting next year. He is so jealous." He laughs and James laughs with him. He finds this boy very entertaining. He tells James all sorts of stories about himself and his brother and the kind of trouble the get up to when left alone. James laughs at the boy's stories and realizes that Sirius is the boy version of Mary, fun and just easy to get on with. Even better than Mary though, for he hasn't once cried, screamed or giggled yet.

James is about to ask where he lives in England when Sirius suddenly turns his attention to the pair by the window. The greasy hair boy is saying something about being in Slytherin. This makes James pause. Hadn't he heard from his father for years how Slytherin is the worst house, full of unfriendly and nasty people?

*****"Slytherin?" James says turning his head to the boy. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James asks looking at Sirius. Sirius frowns back at him.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin." He admits shamefacedly.

"Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right!" James says to him slightly joking. Sirius grins.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" Sirius asks interested.

"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad." James answers, holding his arm out as if holding an invisible sword. Sirius nods as the slimy boy makes a small, disparaging noise. James turns on the boy, starting to get really annoyed now. "Got a problem with that?" he asks scathingly.

"No." He replies sneering slightly. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy – "James does not like this boy's oily voice.

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius asks him with a smirk. James roars with laughter at Sirius' words. _Yes, _he thinks, _we will get on very well. Hope he doesn't get sent to Slytherin like the rest of his family_.

The red-haired girl, who has been forgotten until now, stands. "Come on Severus, let's find a different compartment." She says in a slightly angry voice and walks out of the compartment. Both Sirius and James mock her as she goes.

The boy follows her quickly and James sticks out his leg to trip him. "See ya Snivellus!" He calls after him sliding the door shut in their wake.*****

The rest of the journey passes easily for James, with him and Sirius laughing and carrying on all the while getting to know each other better.

When they arrive at Hogsmeade Station they hear a loud booming voice calling out over the platform. "First years this way!"

James and Sirius' heads turn towards the voice and stop dead in their tracks at the giant that stands before them. They adopt low whispers as they try and decide what might have happened to the man to make him so massive. James can't believe that he is a real giant, for they wouldn't ever let a real giant near a school. The giant then leads them to a lake where James sees ten little boats bobbing by the shore.

"No more than four to a boat!" The giant calls and James spots Mary standing near them and he walks over to her, Sirius following him. They join Mary and a girl James hadn't seen before in a boat and turn around to talk to them.

"Hi Mary, I thought you'd come find me on the train. This is my new friend Sirius, Sirius Black." He tells her.

"Mary Macdonald." She says shaking Sirius' hand confidently. "This is my friend Beth, well Elizabeth, Robins. Her dad works with my dad at the ministry." She tells them and both boys introduce themselves to Beth.

James looks around now as he waits for further instructions. His father told him all he needed to know about the journey, how the boats move with only magic and about the Sorting Hat he will encounter in a short time. He notices the red-haired girl from the train getting into a boat with the greasy boy that he and Sirius dubbed Snivellus. They sat in front of a blonde-haired boy and girl who look as if they could be twins. James chuckles to himself as he sees the blonde girl lean back away from Snivellus looking disgusted.

Soon they were crossing the lake and he his boat mates began pointing out different aspects of the grounds and castle to each other all very excited to finally be there. When the boats stop the giant ushers them into the castle to wait in a room off the main Entrance Hall. James is starting to get really nervous when a severe looking woman enters the room and demands everyone's attention. Her grey hair is pulled up into a tight bun and has a very 'no nonsense' look about her. She introduces herself as Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. James is certain he won't get on too well with her. She begins telling them how things work at Hogwarts.

After a while she leads them out of the room and through the Entrance Hall into a large room with four long tables and one even larger table at the head of the room. James smiles as he looks up at the starry sky that should be a ceiling. _This place is going to be brilliant_.

The woman stands next to the stool and unrolls a scroll to read out the names. "Abbott, Danielle." She calls and the blonde haired girl who had shared a boat with Snivellus walks uneasily up to the stool.

"Hufflepuff!" the hat shouts and the girl smiles and heads to the cheering table on the left.

Next is her twin, "Abbott, Dennis" who is also sorted into Hufflepuff.

Then a boy "Avery, William" is the first to become a Slytherin. James can't help but feel like he is an unpleasant boy and as he strides to the table furthest on the right James notices all the people there have the same look of haughtiness.

Now it's Sirius' turn. "Black, Sirius" the women calls and Sirius makes his way to her. The hat sits on his head nearly a minute when finally it calls out "Gryffindor!"

James cheers along with the table furthest to their left as Sirius walks to sit down next to a tall boy with a silver badge on his chest. James stops his clapping at the annoyed look the red-haired girl gives him. He can't help but feel intimidated by her. Why should he though? She's just a small girl. _Well, she'll be no fun_.

A few others are sorted then, "Evans, Lily" is called and the redhead makes her way to the stool nervously. _So that's her name,_ James thinks, _Lily Evans._ The hat nearly swallows her too small head as she sits shaking under it.

"Gryffindor!" The hat calls and James groans inwardly and looks over at Snivellus and sees the disappointed look on his face. _Well, it might be alright to have such a stick in the mud hanging around if it makes that grease ball unhappy_.

James doesn't pay much attention to the other people being sorted until it is Mary's turn. "Gryffindor!" The hat shouts. He can't believe his luck, both Mary and Sirius? This is going to be brilliant. James can hardly wait for his turn.

Finally, "Potter, James" is called and he strides up to the stool with pride. He knows what's coming; he has no doubt in his mind. The hat barely touches his head before it shouts "Gryffindor!" and he heads toward the table he will call home for the rest of his time here at Hogwarts.

Hours later after a wonderful feast and some warnings and a speech from his Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, James stands with Sirius at the back of the line as a tall boy with a shiny silver badge on his chest tells them all about Gryffindor and shows them the quickest way to their common room. He tells them about the Fat Lady and how the password changes every month. As he finishes the tour of the common room he instructs the boys to the left and the girls to their right, and tells them to get some sleep because lessons start the next morning.

James smiles despite himself. He can't wait to meet his other dorm mates. He opens the door and sees the four four-poster beds with Gryffindor hangings set in a half circle around the room. James sees his trunk in front of the second bed from the door and he walks over to it and plops down. "This is going to be brilliant." He says and Sirius agrees from the bed closest to the door.

The door opens and their dorm mates come in. The first is a short mousey boy who still looks nervous the other taller boy had light brown hair and looks a little shabby. The boys make their way to their own beds, the taller on James right and the mousey one to the bed furthest from the door.

"Hello, I'm James Potter." He says introducing himself to the new comers. The shabby boy smiles and shakes James' hand.

"Remus Lupin." He says.

"Sirius Black." Sirius says coming over to shake Remus' hand as well. "And you?" he asks the short mousey haired boy.

"I'm Peter. Peter Pettigrew." He says in a small voice.

-L-3-J-

First year is going well for the Gryffindor boys.

The four of them had practically become best friends over night. James showed them his invisibility cloak that his father had passed down to him as a welcome to Hogwarts gift. His father had given it to him when he first started at Hogwarts. It is somewhat of a tradition in the Potter Family now. One day James would give it to his son on his first day at Hogwarts.

A few weeks into October James decides that it is the perfect time to try out the cloak. He and his dorm mates walk through the empty common room intending to put it on and go out into the night to prowl the castle.

A sharp voice stops them though. "Where do you think you're going?" asks Lily Evans.

"Nowhere, Evans." James calls in answer, cursing himself for not insisting they put the cloak on before entering the common room.

"Yes you are. I demand to know where you are going. It's after curfew. You'll get into trouble, just like when you," she says pointing at Sirius, "made Professor Binns' chalk write 'boring git' every time it touched the black board!"

James can't help but laugh at the memory of their last History of Magic lesson where the teacher, and only ghost professor at Hogwarts, was droning on about useless information when Sirius decided to play a little prank on him. He hadn't gotten into too much trouble as Binns couldn't remember his name, but he did dock Gryffindor ten points.

Remus and Peter begin to laugh at the memory too and Lily crosses her arms over her chest and sets her jaw to show her anger and defiance. "What's it to you?" Sirius asks.

"Yeah, you aren't a prefect. We don't need to answer to you." Remus adds.

Lily huffs in frustration. "Fine, sneak out. I hope you get caught. I'm sure you'll have an easy time explaining to the rest of Gryffindor that we are down by two hundred points because you four just want to act like rebels!" With that she turns on her heel and storms up the girl's staircase.

James lets out a low whistle. "Blimey, Evans really needs to lighten up." The others laugh and James throws the cloak over top them. Making sure it covers all four of them, they leave the portrait hole to explore the castle and with any luck, make some mischief.

The next morning all the students have a good laugh as the caretaker, Argus Filtch, walks along the halls with his new kitten, Mrs. Norris, who now sports brilliantly pink fur. This is how their fame began. Rumors flew around the castle that a group of first year boys had accomplished what most students have wanted to do all year.

James Potter beams as he and his friends stand in the middle of the Great Hall and take credit for the prank. _We are going to go down in history as the greatest pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen._

* * *

**A/N - And so you did James, so you did. Except maybe for the Weasley Twins.**

***Excerpt (modified by me to be from James' POV not Snape's) from **_**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows**_ **by J.K. Rowling  
****Chapter 33 Pages 671-672 (American Version)**

**Let me know what you think of the first Chapter. I enjoy reviews, good or bad, it helps with my personal growth.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Since the first chapter was mainly stuff that we already knew and moved very slowly, I decided to add the second right away.**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

**Letters and Notes will be in bold.**

* * *

Lily Evans sits in her bedroom the summer before her second year at Hogwarts with a letter clasped in her hand.

It is the first letter she's received from the wizarding world all summer. She made several new friends throughout the year, including two of her dorm mates Beth Robins and Mary Macdonald, but she still wasn't certain anyone would write to her. The fourth girl in Lily's dorm is Caitlin Crouch. She and Lily didn't get on too well throughout their first year. Lily overheard Cait making fun of her after a Charms lesson to one of her friends and ever since then Lily hasn't really trusted her.

Lily opens the letter slowly, trying not to let the excitement over take her. She reads through it carefully.

**Lily,**

**Hope you're having a good holiday so far. Mines been alright, it perked right up though when my parents told me I could throw a party.**

**I am so excited Lily! I'm inviting everyone! It's this Saturday round my place at two. It's going to be smashing! Can't wait for your reply!**

**Love from, **

**Mary**

Lily smiles as the words register in her head. Mary writes as she talks, excited and upbeat.

Lily gets up from her desk and runs downstairs to find her parents, letter still clamped in her hand. She has been invited to a friend's house for the first time ever. When she was younger, before she had found out that she is a witch, the other kids in primary school thought she was strange. But that was alright because she only ever hung around with Petunia. They didn't need friends, they had each other.

Then Lily met Sev. Petunia spent more time with kids her age and Lily spent all her time with him by the riverside or in the park. Sev never invited her to his house though. He has a rough home life, and Lily knows it, so she never presses the matter.

"Morning Lily Belle." Her father greets her when she steps into the small dining area.

"Good morning. Look! My friend Mary has invited me to a party this Saturday! Can I go daddy, please can I?" She pleads.

He nods as he looks over the letter. "Seems alright to me but you best check with your mum before you write back."

Lily runs into the kitchen and nearly bursts with excitement as she tells her mother about the invitation. "And dad says I can go as long as you are alright with it too!"

Her mother reads the letter and says, "Oh yes Lily, of course you may go, it sounds like it will be a lovely time. I must say I am glad to see you have made some friends other than that Snape boy." She finishes with a little distaste in her voice as she always does when speaking of Lily's best friend. Lily frowns a little.

Her mother and father have only met Severus once. It was about a week after Professor Flitwick had come to explain to them about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. Anxious to show them that she was more than willing to go to a boarding school that taught magic Lily decided to have them meet Sev, a fellow future student.

Unfortunately, Petunia, who knew he had been the one to tell Lily all about her 'abnormalities', treated him with little more niceties than you would a beetle. She began saying horrible things about his mother, his home, the way he dressed and eventually Sev lost it. In a moment of sheer confusion, Petunia's tongue had glued itself to the roof of her mouth. Petunia had been rushed off to the hospital where Sev said a wizard must be working to attend to these kinds of accidents. Petunia's tongue was back to normal and spitting just as awful and hurtful things at Lily within the next hour. But ever since that day her parents had disapproved of Severus.

"Thanks Mum." She says and returns to the table to eat her breakfast.

After breakfast Lily changes quickly and heads out the back door to meet up with Severus at their usual spot. As she walks, she wonders if Sev is as excited about the party as she is. She knows he doesn't really know Mary that well, but that will all change after this party. She sees him sitting under the oak tree, their usual source of shade in the summer, and smiles.

"Hey Lil!" he calls and she waves to him in response. "What you got there?" He asks looking at the letter suspiciously.

"It's my invitation to Mary's party. I forgot I was still carrying it." She admits. "I guess I am just a little excited."

He looks at her with confusion and a little resentment on his face. "Whose party?" He asks.

Lily's smile falters. "Mary, you know. Mary Macdonald, she's one of my dorm mates."

"Oh right, and she's having a party?" Lily looks at him thoroughly confused. Surely, he should know about the party. Mary said she was inviting everyone. He must not have opened any mail this morning. Maybe the owl sent to him was running late.

"Yes, didn't you get your invitation yet?" Severus shakes his head. Lily shows him her invitation and he frowns as he reads it.

"Guess she's not inviting _everyone._" He says with a heavy infliction on the last word.

"I'm sure she invited you." Lily says confidently. "I bet your invitation is just delayed. You will probably get it tomorrow." _Mary isn't the type to leave people out, is she? _Lily wonders._ Certainly she wouldn't do that. She is a good person._

The next two days pass and still no invitation comes for Severus and Lily begins to get angry. "It is just so mean! How dare she do that? There is no way I am going to a party where she only invites a select few people and leaves the rest out! It is just cruel!" She says pacing in front of the tree while Sev sits just smiling delightedly up at her, obviously pleased by her outrage.

"Yeah, well that's just how people like her are, Lily. Potter, his mates, and Mary, they all think they are better than the rest of us."

Lily slumps to the ground defeated. She never thought of Mary as someone who thinks herself better than the rest. Potter and his mates… maybe, but not Mary. But how could she deny it now in wake of recent events? Lily can't believe she never saw Mary for what she truly is.

"We will just have our own little party, down here by the river on Saturday." He tells her and she gives him a smile. There is no way she is going to go to party that her best friend isn't invited too. It would be wrong and would make her a bad friend. _Right?_

-J-3-L-

September first rolls around as the summer begins to fade. Lily walks confidently down the corridor in the Hogwarts Express with Severus in tow. Being a second year means that Lily is no longer intimidated by this train.

"Lily! Hey, Lily!" Beth's voice calls from nearby. Lily turns to see her heading their way. Lily smiles and waves and hugs her friend.

"We have a compartment down the train, near the end, come on and join us!" She says excited. Lily is about to accept but then she remembers Severus behind her, she glances back to him and shakes her head.

"Sorry Beth, I am going to sit with Sev." She says and turns away from Beth to follow Severus into an empty compartment. If Lily had been paying attention she would have seen the nasty look he shoots Beth.

By the time they are through, what Lily estimates to be, half their journey she and Sev hear a ruckus outside their compartment. Lily goes to the door to find out what all the commotion is and sees a crowd of people standing around laughing riotously. In the middle of the group stand four boys. They are tossing something between them that, upon closer examination, turns out to be a dung bomb. Lily slides their door open to get a better look and Severus comes to stand at her side.

"Oy, James! Don't drop it mate!" Black calls through his laughter as Potter knocks over a fifth year Ravenclaw while making a pretty spectacular catch. Lily, having never touched one of the repulsive items before, wonders why it hasn't gone off yet. But, she reckons they must have charmed it only to explode if it hits the ground.

She has never particularly cared for these four boys. They are loud, obnoxious, irresponsible and usually rude to everyone, especially Sev. But she has to admit, they can be entertaining at times. She smiles at the scene as Potter calls back. "Heads up, Pete, coming at you!" And she watches as Pettigrew nearly fumbles the bomb. But recovering, he throws it to Lupin, who then passes it back to Potter.

People begin to bet who is going to drop the dung bomb first. The general consensus is that it will be Pettigrew. Lupin tosses it quickly in Potter's direction and he dives for it and makes yet another remarkable catch. Severus groans as do a few others and Potter stands again, his eyes flick over in Lily's direction and he gives a cocky grin. _Is he smiling at me? _Lily asks herself. _Why? We barely spoke last year and when we did it ended in yelling._

"Sirius mate, look who it is, Snivelly and his girlfriend!" Potter calls to Black.

The other boys turn to look and Lily remembers exactly why she doesn't like them much. They were entertaining sure, but their antics always end at the expense of someone's feelings. "Alright Evans, had a good summer did you?" Potter calls to her. Lily feels the heat in her cheeks rise and knew she had gone red, she hates being the center of attention, and everyone is now looking in her and Sev's direction.

Potter tosses the dung bomb to Black, who catches it easily and adds. "Looks like you didn't get any of Snivellus' grease on you, so it can't have been too bad." The crowd erupts in laughter as she feels Sev tense up next to her. With a nod from the others Black tosses the dung bomb over the heads of the crowd between himself and Sev.

"Catch Snivelly!" Lupin calls as the four boys retreat down the corridor.

Sev, who hadn't been looking in Black's direction but had his eyes trained on Potter, looks around confused. It was too late. The dung bomb overshot him slightly and exploded in their compartment. The stench became overbearing as everyone flew into their own compartments to get away from the smell.

Choking on the odor of rotten-eggs mixed with, well dung, Lily covers her mouth, plugs her nose and makes her way down the train looking for a new empty compartment devoid of the smell of dung bombs. Lily knows now that she will never be friends with people like Potter and his band of buffoons. They are just a bunch of bullies.

* * *

Halloween weekend finds James sitting around a table in the Gryffindor common room with Sirius and Peter. All of the older students went off to Hogsmeade while the first years sit in the coveted seats by the fire.

"I'm telling you Pete, it makes sense. Think about it. I mean really think about it. He always makes excuses around the full moon, always comes back looking worse than before he left, and remember what he said last weekend?" James pauses to see if Peter will remember.

"I hate the full moon" Peter responds.

"See!" Sirius half shouts. "How can you doubt our theory?" He asks in a quieter tone after receiving a warning look from James.

"I just think we should consider every other possibility before we bring it up to Remus. I mean, if he is a - you know… then we might have to tell someone, Dumbledore or maybe even the Ministry."

James just stares at his friend. "You really think that Dumbledore doesn't already know?"

"We know that Pomfrey knows we saw her walking with him on the grounds." Sirius reminds him. Peter looks at him defeated.

Sirius opens his mouth to add something else when the Portrait hole opens. Mary walks in with Evans and Beth. Evans sends them a withering glare and sits down at the table furthest from them. Mary however waves at them and they wave back before she and Beth join Evans at her table.

"Anyway, now isn't the time." James says hurriedly. "We'll talk about it later."

James and his friends walk quickly under the invisibility cloak to a hidden room on the fourth floor behind a mirror that they had discovered in their previous year while trying to hide from Peeves. Remus had been the one to figure out it was passageway and they have been using it for their secret meetings ever since. They all sit down on the ground and look expectantly at James.

"Um… well, I thought we needed to have this meeting, because there are things we need to, uh, discuss." Peter shifts uncomfortably and Sirius clears his through to indicate that James should continue. "Right, Remus, we need to know – I mean, what we _want_ to know is…" He is stumbling over the words and he can't seem to make them come out.

"We want to know if you are a werewolf, mate." Sirius interjects matter-of-factly. James shoots him a half thankful half reproachful look. Sirius just shrugs. "What? You were taking forever, babbling on like an prat." They all chuckled except Remus, who had gone white at Sirius' words.

"You ok Rem?" James asks him. Remus nods.

"How did you figure it out?" He manages to choke out.

James and Sirius exchange a knowingly resigned look. "Sort of obvious mate." James admits, shrugging.

Remus doesn't move, he just sits white as a ghost staring down the dark passageway. "How long?" He asks.

"James and Sirius figured it out end of last year, but they just enlightened me after last week's full moon." Peter explains to him.

"Remus, we're sorry if you didn't want us to know, but did you really think you could hide it from us that forever?" Sirius asks in a small voice. Still Remus doesn't move.

"I'm so sorry." He murmurs so softly that James isn't sure he heard him correctly.

"What for?" James asks.

"For putting you all in danger, for coming here at all. Dad was right, it was insane. I shouldn't have come. My mum insisted. It was her last dying wish that I live a relatively normal life. That I get to go to Hogwarts like all the other kids my age. It was against my father's better judgment, but he did it, for her, because he promised her. And he was right, I knew he was right. He is always right." Remus finishes and James thinks that he was talking more to himself then to the others at the end of his outburst.

"Why was he right Rem? Why shouldn't you have come?" James asks still confused by his words.

"Isn't it obvious James? I thought I could hide my condition forever. I thought that no one would ever need to know. But, now that I have actually got friends, they find out my darkest and worst secret. I lost everything, and it hurts worse than it did before because now I know what it was like to be a normal kid, like the rest of you, and I have go back. Back to my life of solitude with no friends and only my dad for company." James and Sirius exchange horrified glances.

"You mean, you think we want you to leave? That we don't want to be your friend now?" Sirius asks.

Remus looks up finally but still doesn't meet any of their eyes. "I understand of course." He says just as defeated as ever.

"You obviously don't if you think we're trying to ditch you." James points out.

"Don't. Don't act like you are ok with my condition. I really do understand what it's like. I saw the looks of horror and disgust on all my family members' faces. No one wants to befriend a werewolf. No one wants a werewolf in the family. I know… I do… I understand." He says, still looking anywhere but the other threes eyes.

"Well, then James and Sirius wasted an awful lot of time and energy this summer putting in all that effort and doing all that research." Peter says with what seems like a great effort. Remus looks up shocked and meets James' eye, then looks to Sirius.

"You two did research?" He asks with a concerned look on his face.

"Ha-ha, we know how to do research when it is necessary." Sirius says dryly. "But, yes we did loads of research. James care to elaborate?" James nods in Sirius' direction and then looks at Remus.

"Naturally we know that a werewolf is a danger to humans, with the whole biting, killing, maiming thing but as it turns out, werewolf transformations are actually quite painful for the werewolf himself."

Remus chuckles bitterly. "You don't say."

James grins at him. "Figured you might already know that bit. So now listen to something you probably don't know. A werewolf is _only_ a danger to humans. This means, that werewolves will not attack any other creature besides a human being unless attacked first. So say your running around the forest in the wolf form and a bunny crosses your path, you wouldn't attack it. Right?"

"I have never been loose in a forest in wolf form."

"Ok, well according to our research, you wouldn't."

"I won't attack animals, so what?"

"If you are in wolf form, and we are in animal form, than no harm will come to any of us." James says.

Remus looks at him thoroughly confused. "Animal form? How would you manag– oh no. No, you can't possibly. You'd never be able to." Remus says apparently catching on to the meaning.

"We can." James says confidently.

"We will." Sirius states simply.

Peter, who hasn't spoken much so far, looks sheepishly at his friend. "James and Sirius say they'll help me as much as they can, so that I will be able to do it too." The uncertainty in his voice is more than apparent.

"What is the point of all this?"

"The point is this, my sometimes furry friend, we'll be able to keep you company, even keep you from scratching and biting yourself. Since you won't attack us we can keep you from attacking yourself." Sirius says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"So… you want to help me. Not run away from me screaming?" Remus asks.

"Rem, you're our best mate, we would never leave you to deal with something like this on your own. If we can lower your pain and suffering by just the smallest amount, we will." James says earnestly. Remus beams at them and he knows that they won him over.

By the end of the night, they have come up with a name for their gang, which is now bound by not only friendship, but by this common secret and the prospect of many more secrets to come. They are The Marauders.

-L-3-J-

James is amazed at how quickly The Marauders seem to gain fame around the school. Plus he had made the Quidditch team this year and in their first match against Slytherin he had scored nine goals earning him quite a bit of glory. He feels pretty confident in himself and his friends.

Valentine's Day comes and he and his friends sit down at breakfast with huge grins on their faces. _People will be talking about this prank for years. We'll go down in infamy. _He is about to bite into his sausage when it happens. He looks up quickly not wanting to miss a thing.

"I must have her!" One boy shouts.

"She loves me! Not you!" Growls another.

_"Minerva, your eyes shine brighter than the sun…"_ A massive sixth year begins to sing.

This is too much for James. He nearly falls off his seat he is laughing so hard. The whole of the hall is laughing now, all except the Slytherins. James is ecstatic at the outcome, he was worried that most of them would catch on after one or two were affected, but it took much longer than they thought for them to understand.

The Marauders have developed a strong relationship with the Hogwarts House Elves over the last year and a half. The house elves have even left them alone in the kitchen while they go about their chores. Which is a mistake on their part, because this morning before breakfast Sirius, James and Remus went into the kitchens while Peter stood watch. They spiked all the pumpkin juices on the Slytherin table with love potion. Love potion to make the drinker fall head-over-heels in love with Professor McGonagall.

Now, right in front of their eyes twenty or so Slytherins are standing and professing their undying love for the Head of Gryffindor House. They serenade her, recite poetry for her and some even make their way to her with determined looks on their faces. McGonagall puts up an invisible barrier between her and the oncoming students as Madam Pomfrey walks towards them talking to each of them in turn and they leave the hall. James assumes they are heading to the Hospital Wing where they can get an antidote.

The whole hall is still buzzing and laughing riotously except the remaining Slytherins who sit solemnly at their table sending withering glares at the laughing students. Dumbledore stands and claps his hands and the hall falls silent.

"Well, as wonderful as I find it that you are so eager to show off your potion brewing abilities, I would very much like to know who is responsible for this little breakfast trick." He says in a tone somewhere between amused and disapproving.

James smirks across the table at Sirius who nods and looks at Remus who smiles at Peter. All four of the boys stand together. Cheers and claps erupt again from a few braver students and are silenced almost at once by Professor McGonagall this time.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew I expect to see all of you in my office in no less than ten minutes." Dumbledore says before turning to consult McGonagall. The boys all give a quick bow to their supporters before they file out of the Great Hall. When they leave the room bursts into excited whispers and chatter once again. James knows they are talking about them and it excites him.

Each Marauder receives a week's worth of detentions from their Headmaster for brewing and using a potion that is banned from Hogwarts and then each gets ten points taken from Gryffindor for 'making a mockery of their Head of House'. But they think this punishment is worth it, for now The Marauders aren't just some random second years, they are cool and they are respected.

* * *

Lily is fuming. Potter and Black had just interrupted her reading by setting off a firework in the library. She left in a huff with Potter yelling after her. "What are you studying for Evans? It's the last week of term, exams are over!"

Lily isn't really watching where she is going and nearly knocks down Pettigrew on her way back to Gryffindor Tower. She likes Peter the best out of all The Marauders because he is the quietest and somehow seems less arrogant and obnoxious than the others. "Oh! Sorry, Peter!" She says giving him a warm smile as he steadies himself.

Lily hears a snigger and looks up to see Lupin standing a few feet away but he's not looking in her direction. He is peaking around the corner looking down a different corridor. "What's so funny?" She asks him with contempt that is truly meant for the other two Marauders not these two.

Lupin places his finger over his lips as if to shush her and motions for her to come over to him. Cautiously, suspecting another Marauder prank, Lily walks toward him. When she looks down the intersecting corridor all she sees is white. It takes her a moment to realize that it has been completely coated in ice. The floor, the walls, the portraits, even the suits of armor are covered in ice.

Lily can only feel flabbergasted. "How did you manage this?" She asks.

"Just a simple freezing charm. Not a big deal, the real task was getting around the teachers and Filtch so that we could manage it. James and Sirius are out setting off fireworks everywhere they can think of as a distraction." He explains.

Lily nods. She should have known that a simple firework being set off in the library when there was no real reason for anyone to be in it would be too low key for these boys who earned their reputation for their stunning pranks. Lily had to admit, this one was quite brilliant. "Want me to show you?" Lupin asks.

"No thank you." Lily responds and then turns to walk away so that no one could mistake her for taking part in any of their mischief. She has to force herself not to smile because as she turns she sees Filtch and Mrs. Norris trying to make their way up the corridor and it is not a graceful journey.

Lily makes her way out onto the grounds and spots Sev sitting near the lake reading a book.

"Don't go down the fourth floor corridor, The Marauders have turned it into a winter wonderland." She says coming up behind her best friend. He nearly jumps out of his skin at her words.

"Oh, hi, Lil didn't see you coming." She smiles as she sits next to him.

"No, you were too immersed in your book. What are you reading?" She asks trying to get a glimpse of the title.

"Just a book Avery lent me." He said evasively, hiding the cover from her. "It's fascinating."

Lily purses her lips. She doesn't care much for Severus' other friends. They all give her dirty looks and she often thinks they talk about her behind her back. Sev doesn't offer any other explanation about the book so Lily just lies back in the grass and rolls up her sleeves anxious to get some much needed sun. Her eyes flutter shut in the warm sun and she feels like she might be drifting off to sleep when Sev shakes her.

"Come on Lily, let's go." Lily's eyes shoot open, she half expects to see The Marauders coming towards them to torture Sev some more with their terrible pranks, but she remembers that they are up on the fourth floor having fun with their frozen corridor. She does, however, see Mary and Beth making their way towards them.

"Why? It's just Mary and Beth."

"They don't like me and they treat me horribly." He says. Lily looks over at her friends. It is true that Mary and Beth don't care too much for Sev, but they have never been openly mean to him or said anything mean about him, at least not while she is around.

"Alright, I will just see them later." She says comfortingly. It seems like Lily has been doing this a lot lately, spending more time with Sev than Mary and Beth, but Sev needs her more. Mary and Beth have each only has her and a group of Slytherins, who she disapproves of.

Lily stands and follows Sev into the castle, waving to Mary and Beth. As they reach the oak doors she turns her head to see Beth's look of disappointment and Mary's of – could it be anger? Lily lets out a sigh as she walks further away from the sunshine and all the fun that it promises.

* * *

**A/N –So, I know it's really slow so far. But I promise it picks up, just not much to write about in their early years. I'll have Chapter 3 up very soon. **

**Let me know what you think of this chapter. I enjoy reviews, good or bad, it helps with my personal growth.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Here is Chapter 3. Hope you like it!**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

Lily is sitting in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express waiting for Sev to join her.

Mary and Beth had not invited her to join them in their compartment when she'd seen them on the platform and Lily suspects it is because Mary once again invited her to a party over the summer, promising 'everyone will be there!'. She had even said that all The Marauders were going to be there, as if that were somehow a drawl for Lily.

She felt bad for not attending the party, but as Mary had once again left Lily's best friend out, she couldn't justify going. She spent the day with Severus instead, sitting by the river just like the year before. She felt then like it was going to be something of a tradition for them.

Lily stares out the window onto the platform where Potter and Black are talking animatedly to Beth and Mary. _Maybe this year I can convince Mary and Beth to spend time with Sev, they'd really like him if they would just try._ Lily thinks. _They just don't know him. I am sure if I just talk to The Marauders and tell them how hard life is for Sev they surely won't pick on him as much this year. They just didn't understand him, right?_

The compartment door slides open and pulls Lily from her thoughts. Severus walks in and sits down looking upset.

"You ok, Sev?" She asks him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just Potter and his mates taking the mickey out of me because my robes aren't as nice as theirs or my trunk isn't new." He explains. "Just because his family is rich and his mummy spoils him rotten." He spits out bitterly. Lily frowns at him.

She knows the Potters and Blacks are wealthy by the way Caitlin, her least favorite dorm mate, talks about them. Her family and Mary's family are always invited to the events that Mrs. Potter holds. But Mary says that they aren't nearly as wealthy as the Black's.

None of The Marauder's brag about money in front of her, but she knows they are all pretty well off, except maybe Remus. Lily's family has never been extremely wealthy, but she has never been without what she needs. Sev's family, however, didn't have much money at all, and he wears second-hand robes and his trunk was his mother's from when she was at Hogwarts. Lily is sad that such a petty thing like that is now a cause for bullying. Not wanting to upset him further, she decides to change the subject.

"Aren't you excited to go into Hogsmeade?" She asks.

And he is off, talking about all the shops he wants to go in, all the different places he's heard about, and the history involved with the places. Lily sits back and listens agreeing and nodding when necessary but really just pleased that she is able to distract him so thoroughly.

After the Welcome Back Feast Lily sits at one of the tables in the Gryffindor common room with Mary and Beth chatting about their summers, none of them mention the party. Lily was just about to bring up the idea of them spending more time with Sev when Mary raises her arm in a wave. Lily looks over to see that she is waving at The Marauders.

This is the first time Lily has seen them up close since the end of last term. Peter is the only one who looks the same, short and plump, but the others all seemed to have grown a few inches. Remus still looks as shabby as ever but less scrawny. Potter and Black however both seem to have undergone transformations. They both look firmer somehow, not at all scrawny anymore. Potter leads the other three over to the table where the girls sit.

"Wow, Sirius is looking cute isn't he?" Mary whispers lowly before they reach them and Beth giggles girlishly but Lily doesn't acknowledge her statement.

Potter plops himself into the chair next to Mary and Lupin next to Beth, Black takes the seat next to Potter leaving Pettigrew to stand awkwardly over their shoulders. Potter and Black both lean back in their chairs lazily.

"What's new ladies? Have a good summer?"

Beth tells them about her summer and Mary follows with a few stories of her own. When they all look at Lily to hear about her summer she pauses.

"I have a question." They others just wait for her to speak. "How would you lot like to get to know Severus better this term? Maybe spend some more time with him? I know you'd all get one well together."

Potter nearly falls backwards off his chair at her words. Looks of shock meet her from every direction. "What?" She asks defensively.

"Why would we do that, Lily? He doesn't want to get to know us better. Or get on with us at all." Mary says flabbergasted.

"Sure he does!" Lily protests.

"Uh, no, Evans, I don't think he does. He hates us, hates all Gryffindors actually, except you." Lupin says matter-of-factly.

"He does not. He just doesn't like when you lot bully him!" Lily insists.

"Mary and I don't bully him, yet he still hates us." Beth says fairly.

"Besides, we don't bully him, we just teach him lessons that he will find useful later in life." Potter says smugly. Lily's eyes turn to slits as the others chuckle at Potter's words. _I should have known they wouldn't take me seriously_.

"Fine, I can see that it is an unpopular idea. Sorry I even brought it up. I'm going to bed." And not waiting for a response she stands and storms over to the staircase leading to the girl's dormitories.

* * *

James sits stunned as he watches Lily walk away, hips swaying, long red curls bouncing down her back. _Do her eyes always burn emerald like that when she's upset?_ He wonders.

Beth brings him back to reality. "That might be the worst idea she has ever had."

Peter chuckles as he takes Lily's vacated seat. "I agree."

"Don't know what she's playing at thinking Snivelly wants to get on with us. Never misses a chance to hex us, does he?" James says still dazed by Lily's outburst.

"Nor does he miss a chance to throw an insult my way. He and his Slytherin cronies always make snide comments when I walk by." Mary says resentfully.

Sirius shakes his head in disgust. The Slytherins prejudices always affect him differently than the rest, for he is expected by most people to side with them rather than find their views repulsive.

"She needs to face it; Slytherins and Gryffindors will just never get along." He says wisely.

-L-3-J-

As James and his friends walk through Hogsmeade for the first time, James can't help but feel elated. Remus suggests they go into a pub called The Three Broomsticks and they all agree. Walking over the threshold, pockets full of Zonko's products, James hears Sirius let out a gasp. Remus chuckles and confused James follows Sirius' view line and sees a young, curvy woman with spunky black hair standing behind the bar, wiping down a glass. James begins laughing as well when he registers Sirius' expression.

"I think I'm in love." He says in a dreamy voice.

Peter still looks confused but Sirius straightens up. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?" He says confidently.

James and Remus look at each other. "No way am I missing this." James says and he follows Sirius to the bar.

"'Ello my dears, what can I do for ya?" The barmaid asks kindly.

Sirius adopts a cheeky grin. "Well, my dear, you can start by telling me your name."

The barmaid smiles back at him. "Rosmerta." She says simply.

"Well, Rosmerta, I don't think you can make me pay for what I want you to do for me." Sirius says with a wink.

A full thirty seconds pass in silence then she bursts out laughing. "That is easily the cutest thing I have heard in months, my boy. For that, you get a free round." She says pulling up a few bottles of butterbeer from under the bar.

Sirius follows James dejectedly to the table where Remus and Peter are already seated. "How'd it go mate?" Remus asks a grin on his face.

Sirius seems to think about it for a moment before perking up a bit. "She bought me a drink." He says happily and clinks his bottle with Remus'. They all laugh then and James can tell that this is going to be something of a new tradition for them.

Leaning back on the back legs of his seat James watches as Lily walks up to the bar. He grins as she flips her long red hair over her shoulder and gives Rosmerta a smile. _How have I never noticed that smile before? _He marvels. _Oh right, she hardly ever smiles, especially when I am around._ He reminds himself.

He watches her walk back to her table and his grin fades. She is sitting at a table alone with Snivellus. _What does she see in that slime-ball? Why do I even care?_

-L-3-J-

Midway through November James finds himself sitting on his bed, stomach growling. He missed dinner because he would have been late for detention if he'd stopped to eat, and the last thing you want to do is be late for a detention with McGonagall.

Debating it for a second he decides to go get some food from the kitchens. Pulling his cloak out of his trunk he makes his way down to the common room. At the bottom of the stairs he pauses, he can hear hurried footsteps as if someone were pacing. James looks at his watch. It's nearly one in the morning. _Who is up at this hour?_

He peaks his head around the corner to see a very familiar mane of red hair pulled up into a high pony tail whip around as Lily turns on her heel. James watches her for a moment. She's pacing back and forth, her eyes closed and her bathrobe lay disregarded across the back of a couch. Her pajama shorts show off quite a bit of leg and from the top of her tank top James can see a small amount of cleavage. He runs his fingers through his hair nervously.

She looks far different than James has ever seen her before. Tonight, she doesn't look at all like the tense kill-joy he's come to know. All he can think now is that she looks gorgeous. He feels strange just standing in the doorway staring so he takes a step towards her and opens his mouth to ask if she is all right when her eyes shoot open.

"Potter!" She yelps. "Warn me before you just barge in like that!" She grabs her bathrobe and pulls it tightly around herself.

"Warn you? Before I walk into a common area, just incase you're pacing in your pajamas?" He chuckles.

She glares at him angrily. "Yes!" And with that she storms back up the girl's staircase without another word.

James lets out another chuckle and throws the cloak over himself determined to get some food. As he makes his way through the deserted corridors he wonders why on earth she was pacing so furiously at one o'clock in the morning.

Then other thoughts come into his head, new feelings for this girl that he never thought could ever spark his interest. He finds himself wondering if she would fancy going to Hogsmeade with him next weekend.

* * *

The morning of the second Hogsmeade trip of the year, Lily sits alone eating her breakfast when Potter comes in and takes the seat across from her.

"Morning, Evans." He says and she looks up to meet his gaze. He never says good morning to her or even sits by her unless Mary is around. She doesn't respond but just stares at him. "I've been thinking." He continues and Lily rolls her eyes.

"Oh yeah, Potter, what about?" She asks returning to her porridge.

"I was thinking you should come into Hogsmeade with me today." He says soberly. Lily's head shoots back up at these words. _What did he say? Did he just ask me out? Why would he ask me out? Does he fancy me?_

Before she can even begin to think of how to answer herself, he continues. "This way you won't have to resort to spending the day with Snivelly and maybe have some fun for once."

It takes a moment for the words to sink in. Lily feels the rage building inside her. _How dare he insinuate that the only reason I go to Hogsmeade with Sev is because I have no one else to go with. How dare he ask me out just to insult him! _

"I would rather miss going to Hogsmeade all together than go with you." She snarls at him and stands up hurries out of the Great Hall.

She can't understand how he can act so cool and calm. The way he can insult people and act like it is no big deal infuriates her. He thinks because he is some brilliant Quidditch player that he can just do whatever he wants. If he does really want her to go to Hogsmeade with him, which she doubts, he should know better than to insult her and her best friend while asking. _What a git!_

She is still fuming as she leans against a wall in the Entrance Hall and notices Potter and Black walking from the Great Hall each with a Hufflepuff fourth year on their arm. If it is at all possible her fury increases. _So he really was just asking me out as an insult. That's obvious because not even ten minutes after I turn him down he's got another girl lined up._ She thinks somewhat bitterly.

She doesn't have any real feelings for Potter, but every girl likes to feel wanted. Being asked out by Hogwarts star Quidditch player and probably one of the coolest guys in school, despite him only being a third year, felt pretty good. Until now, until she sees for complete certainty that he was just trying to make her look like a fool. She begins to wonder what he would have done if she had said yes. But she decides that he will never get that satisfaction.

-J-3-L-

The end of third year comes and Lily sits with Severus out on the grounds. He is reading another book from one of his Slytherin friends and Lily reflects over the last year.

James Potter had asked her out no less than twenty-one times after that first time and she had refused him no less than twenty-one times. Each time she got angrier. Lily sighs in relief as she thinks of the approaching holiday. _Eight long weeks without being asked out by Potter, it is going to be a great summer_.

* * *

James lounges across his seat on the Hogwarts Express which is carting him off to his fourth year at Hogwarts. Peter sits next to him flipping through a magazine and Sirius and Remus across from him playing a game of chess.

He sees a flash of red outside The Marauder's compartment and he jumps to his feet. He would know that red mane of hair anywhere. Lily Evans is stopped in the corridor talking to a group of giggling girls.

James slides open the compartment door and calls to her. "Oy, Evans!"

Lily turns slowly towards him her face falling from the polite smile it had worn only a second ago. She just crosses her arms over her chest in response.

"Fancy sitting in our compartment? You can always sit on my lap if there isn't enough room." He says and gives her a wink for good measure.

Her face turns pink with embarrassment as the girls around her giggle uncontrollably. "Potter, I wouldn't sit within ten meters of wherever you happen to be." She calls back with a scowl.

James isn't deterred though, he has heard far worse from her. "Oh fine, you can lay with me then." He says happy to use her words against her.

She just stands there stunned for a moment and then she begins to walk towards him. She stops directly in front of him so that their noses are almost touching, for one wild moment he thinks she's going to kiss him. But, she swings back her hand and smacks him right across the face. Then without a word she turns and walks away towards where Snivellus stands watching, a look of complete euphoria on his face.

James brings his hand up to feel his stinging face where she had just hit him and watches her walks up the train with Snivelly. He notices a Ravenclaw sixth year standing next to him and he turns to look at her. She caresses the spot where Lily has just smacked him.

"She is stupid to refuse an offer like that." She says in a low voice and kisses the spot where her hand had just been and walks off to where her friends stand staring.

James watches as she too walks off, now doubly stunned. He turns back to go into the compartment where his friends were all sitting, fists stuffed in their mouths to keep from laughing.

"Well, at least we got the first rejection out of the way. Plenty more of those coming this year, I'm sure." James tells them putting on a cocky demeanor so that they think he sees this as a big joke.

They can't seem to hold it in any longer and let the laughter ring out. He laughs along with them but his insides seem frozen. He had really hoped that this year Lily would finally accept his offer for a date; he hoped that this year would be different, but it is turning out to be just the same as last year.

* * *

Lily has had just about enough of the stupid Marauders and their 'pranks'.

She hates how they use that term. It is just their way of excusing the fact that they like to hex people for no apparent reason. It's true that most of the people who fall victim to their antics end up laughing just as much as The Marauders themselves, but there are a few people that do not take kindly to their tricks. Severus is the most frequent of these people and Lily hates that every time he gets near a Marauder some sort of fight ensues.

Pettigrew is the only one who never openly attacks anyone. He only participates if it is all four of them at once. He never pulls a prank on his own. Potter and Black are the two that prank someone at least twice a week. If you are misfortunate enough to come across them when they are really bored, you will most likely end up with fur in places it was never meant to be or with teeth that won't stop growing. Even Lupin, who seems to be the most responsible of the lot, is known to hex a few people in the name of a joke.

But as Lily watches a little first year Gryffindor with red puffy eyes run away from where three of the Marauders stand laughing she feels as if they have finally gone too far.

"How dare you upset that poor little first year!" She screams at them. "What did she ever do to you?"

All three stop laughing and Potter looks a bit red in the face. "Whoa Evans! Slow down!" Lupin says taken aback.

"I will not! I demand to know why you find it so damn funny to make an innocent little girl cry!" Lupin and Black both look at Potter and burst out laughing again. Lily glares at them and turns to Potter crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, uh, I didn't mean to make her cry." James says in an ashamed voice.

"You think you can hex innocent people and just say, 'I didn't mean to make them cry', and that will make it alright?" She asks him in a cutting voice.

"For your information, he didn't hex her, Evans. Although, it might have been kinder if he had." Black says chuckling and Lupin snorts. Lily looks at him confused.

"She came over here to wish me good luck in the match tomorrow." Potter explains. "And then she asked if I wanted to go out with her afterwards." Lily stares at him wondering if what he is saying is true. "But naturally I told her I couldn't because you and I are going out after our victory." He adds arrogantly.

Lily stands staring at him completely shocked. That little girl had just asked out the star of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and one of the most popular boys in school, not to mention he happens to be three years older than her. _She certainly has the brave part of being a Gryffindor down_.

Then registering the last part of his statement she yells, "James Potter I will not being going out with you after the match!"

He smirks at her. "Alright, fine, before the match then. But that doesn't leave us with much time. We only have," he checks his watch, "sixteen hours left. Better get started now."

"I will not go out with you ever!" Lily screams in frustration and turns to march back up to the castle. _Merlin, he is infuriating_. She feels bad for yelling at him this time though. It hadn't really been his fault. Lily misjudged the situation and just assumed he was being horrible to the little girl. _Oh well at least he deserved the bit about me not going out with him, _she reasons.

Lily walks through the oak front doors and sees Sev standing over in a corner of the Entrance Hall talking to a group of his Slytherin friends. _Good,_ _Sev will be able to pull me from my bad mood._

Lily raises her arm to wave at him, but instead of returning her gesture he turns his back on her and follows Mulciber and the others into the dungeons. Lily lowers her hand dejectedly. _Maybe he just didn't see me, _she thinks hopefully as she makes her way up to Gryffindor tower. Now in a worse mood than she'd been before.

Upon entering the portrait hole she sees Mary and Beth sitting at a table near a window. She pauses for a moment but decides to join them. It's better than going up to her dorm and stewing in her bad mood the rest of the evening. Besides, Mary and Beth can cheer her up just as well as Severus can. As she draws nearer to the girls she hears them whispering lowly.

"I can't believe he actually said that… you know… called you a Mudblood." Beth says in a slightly nervous way.

Lily stands next to the empty chair on Beth's right and asks, "What's a Mudblood?"

Both girls jump. They hadn't noticed her approach them. "Oh, Lily, it's just you!" Mary says with relief. "Here, sit down. You need to hear this too. And to answer your question, a Mudblood is a really, really awful thing to call a person who is Muggle-born."

"It's a horrible word, that's probably why you've never heard it before. Only truly wicked people say it." Beth adds.

Lily is still confused. "But why would someone call you that? You're not even Muggle-born." Lily says.

"Well, I don't know that for sure." Mary reasons. "Mulciber says that I 'stink like a Mudblood'." She tells Lily and shivers in disgust.

"That's so awful, Mary. I am so sorry."

"Well I wouldn't put it past them to call you the same thing Lily, you should be prepared. It wasn't just Mulciber saying horrible things, Snape started it and the others just piled on." Mary warns her. Lily is shocked. _Did Mary just say that Severus started it?_

"No, Sev wouldn't say anything like that, he isn't prejudice. You must have misunderstood him." Lily says confidently.

"Unless there is another way to understand, 'get out of my way Mudblood, you don't even deserve to walk these halls'." Mary shoots back icily as Beth shakes her head at Lily.

Lily can't believe the words coming from Mary's lips. They are so harsh and don't seem at all like something Sev would say. Yet, Mary and Beth both seem to have heard him say it. And they wouldn't lie to her. Right? What would the point of that be? They don't like Sev, sure, they think he is strange, but they know he's her friend and they have never openly been mean to him in front of her.

"I don't know what we would have done if James and the others hadn't been right around the corner. I hope they hexed them up real nice. Made it so they won't be walking too well tomorrow." Mary says with a bitter laugh.

Lily snaps out of her thoughts at the mention of Potter hexing someone. She had heard he'd hexed Snape earlier that day, which is why she sought Potter out in the first place. When she had seen the crying girl walking away from him, she flew off the handle.

"The Marauders were there?" Lily chokes out.

Beth nods. "They had just come walking up the corridor and heard Snape's remark and then as Mulciber started in, James drew his wand and told them to shove off. But then Avery called him and Sirius blood traitors for being in Gryffindor and defending 'filth' like Mary. That got Sirius and Remus involved and Peter pulled us away from the duel that had started and brought us back here." Beth says, finishing her story and gesturing over to where Peter sits alone by the fire.

Mary just nods with a frown on her face, as if it's still too sore to discuss. Lily looks at the ground unwilling to meet Mary's eye. If what they said is true, then she feels even worse for yelling at Potter this afternoon. The thought of Severus, her best friend in the world, ever actually deserving the treatment that he receives from The Marauders is too much to bear.

No, they must be mistaken. In their fear of such an awful situation they must have mistaken Severus for someone else. Lily can't think of another Slytherins that looked remotely like Sev, but this is her only explanation and she's going to cling to it. No way could it have been him. She stands and murmurs something about going to the library. But in reality she just wants to be alone to think.

* * *

James sits in the Room of Requirement with his fellow Marauders a few days before Remus' Birthday.

The Room of Requirement is a room that James and Sirius had stumbled across in their second year. It had taken them a long time to understand how it worked. In the end Peter was the one to figure it out, and ever since then they used it for whatever they require, naming it amongst themselves as the Room of Requirement.

He, Sirius and Peter have been using the room to continually practicing their Animagus transformations. They had hoped that they all would be able transform as a sort of gift to Remus, but it doesn't seem likely. The Animagus transformation proved to be much more difficult than any of them had anticipated. It requires quite a lot of will power and prodigious skill.

Despite the pure mental strain of the act, James feels like he is doing pretty well with it. He thought that he had almost managed it last week, but the bell signaling the end of break rang and he had to get to class. He knows that it isn't long until their goal of helping Remus is realized.

After nearly an hour of practice with his friends, James begins to feel a slight tingling sensation rush through his body. Suddenly his head feels too heavy and he is seeing the room from a much different vantage point than before. _Oh no, what have I done to myself now?_ Last time he had felt that tingle he had turned bright orange, the time before he turned his feet into tea kettles.

James opens his mouth to ask the others what he'd done now, but all he hears is a strange huffing sound coming from his lips. Panicking now he looks up at Remus who is sitting on the couch staring at him, mouth hanging wide open. James turns his head further to see Peter and Sirius staring at him with similar expressions.

Finally, Remus seems to gain his voice back. "You're a stag mate!" He yelps.

"An enormous one!" Peter adds.

Sirius just sniggers. "Show off."

James is stunned. _Have I actually transformed? _ He wonders to himself. _I need a mirror._ He thinks desperately and the room provides, just as it always does.

A mirror appears leaning against a bookshelf near the door. He walks over to it and as he walks he notices how strange it feels to be on four legs. He examines his reflection and sees that his friends had been telling the truth. He is indeed a stag, brown fur with gigantic antlers. _Those could definitely take a werewolf,_ he thinks smugly.

"Turn back mate!" Sirius calls to him from across the room. For a second, James panics. _What if I can't change back?_

But he clears his head and putting forth his best effort he uses all the will power he possesses and returns to human form with the same tingling sensation as before.

"How was it?" Remus asks a hint of concern in his voice.

"Bizarre. But also, really cool." James tells him excitedly.

For the rest of the night James and Remus chat about his form and laugh about what sort of animals Sirius and Peter will become and they wonder why James is a stag of all animals. James smirks as he watches his friends continue to work at the transformation.

Now all he has to worry about is the Quidditch Final and exams, and really… that isn't too worrisome for James Potter.

-L-3-J-

James can't believe that it is already the Easter holiday. He and Sirius sit in the empty common room by the fire debating what they should do with all their free time when Frank Longbottom, a seventh year and Head Boy, enters from the boy's staircase.

"I'm off to meet Alice, you two behave yourselves." He says with a smirk.

Alice is a Hufflepuff seventh year. She and Frank began dating in James' first year. She isn't the best looking witch at Hogwarts but she is definitely one of the nicest. She had helped him and Remus out of a tight spot once when they were trapped between Filtch and Peeves.

"Well mate what shall we do this evening?" Sirius asks

"How about we give Filtch something to do and throw some ever-bashing boomerangs around North Tower." James suggests.

Sirius nods. "Sounds like a plan."

James runs up to get the invisibility cloak out of his trunk and they head out. The cloak is just an extra security measure, he highly doubts they'll run into anyone in the castle, almost everyone has gone home for the holiday. In fact, Sirius, Frank and he were the only three Gryffindor's left. Frank stayed behind for Alice, as her parents are with James' parents at some resort in Germany. James hated going to such places with all his parent's snobby friends so his mother promised him he didn't have to join them this time. This meant that Sirius, who always stays at James' house during the Christmas and Easter holidays, stayed behind as well. They pretty much have the castle to themselves. Or so James had thought.

As they were walking down the Fat Lady's corridor they run into Snivellus. "What are you two doing here?" He hisses.

"This is Gryffindor Tower, dolt. We should be asking what a grease-ball like yourself is doing walking these noble halls." Sirius says with a smirk and James lets out a low chuckle of appreciation.

Snivelly just shifts uncomfortably. "Oh, see here Sirius. He is trying to sneak into our common room to see Evans." James jeers.

"She must not like you as much as you think, Snivellus, if she didn't even tell you she was going home for the holiday." Sirius adds.

"What are you on about, Black?" Snivellus snaps.

"He's saying Evans went home for Easter." James says in a slow mocking voice as if Snivelly couldn't understand English properly.

A look of hurt and disappointment crosses Snivelly's face but it's gone almost instantly and James isn't even sure he saw it. "Well, I wouldn't want to be left alone in a tower with you two prats all break either." He sneers.

"Funny, I was just thinking how she obviously didn't want to be left alone with a git like you." James taunts.

Snivelly pulls out his wand, a look of deep dislike on his face. But James is too quick for him and disarms him before he even has a chance to raise it. Sirius catches Snivellus' wand and James smirks.

"You'd think you'd have learned your lesson by now." James mocks.

Snivellus just gives him a murderous glare as Sirius points his wand at him too.

"Should we transfigure his clothes again?" Sirius asks. James smirks at the memory of when they had sent Snivelly back to the dungeons after a duel wearing only pink women's dress robes.

"Nah, let's just let him hang out." James says.

Sirius smirks as James levitates Snivellus up to hang from the nearest torch bracket by his under garments. Laughing uproariously Sirius chucks Snivellus' wand on the ground at his feet, just out of his reach and they continue on their way to North Tower.

-L-3-J-

The Quidditch Cup was played in late May, a few weeks before exams started. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Gryffindor won for the third year running, largely in part to James' twelve goals. He loved all the extra praise he received from his fellow classmates. None of them had wanted to see Slytherin win.

Exams came and went quickly and James is confident that he did brilliantly, at least in the classes that are actually worthwhile. In that moment in time, when exams were over and he and the other Marauders are lounging around their favorite beech tree, he feels like everything truly is perfect. If only Lily Evans would accept a date with him.

_I suppose you can't have everything in life_.

* * *

**A/N – I was going to split this into two chapters, one for third year and one for fourth, but I decided they were too short for that and did it this way instead.**

**Let me know what you think. **** I thoroughly enjoy reviews.**

**And, because I was on a roll the last few days, Chapter 4 will be up in a few hours and Chapter 5 possibly! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – **

_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

This summer has been warm and sunny and a rather enjoyable time for James.

Sirius had achieved the Animagus transformation in the last week of term and he and James spent almost all their time running around in his back garden in their animal forms, after his parents had gone to bed. Sirius' animal form is a massive, furry, black dog. Unlike James' own Animagus form he has little trouble understanding the reasoning behind Sirius'. Loyal, protective and fun-loving, a dog is the exact right animal for Sirius.

Usually, in July James' friends would come to stay with his family for two weeks. Remus was the only one who actually did this though. Sirius decided to spend the entire month of July with the Potter's and stopped in every weekend and most week days. He always says he prefers James' house to his own. Peter, however, was only permitted by his mother to stay for one weekend. Her excuse was that Peter could spend all the time he wants with his friends when he is away at school. When he is home, it's her turn.

James and Sirius spent Peter's entire visit coaching him and trying to help him with his transformation. But from their own experience they know it's essentially up to Peter himself. It takes a fairly large amount of skill and an even greater amount of willpower for this particular achievement and James often doubts Peter has it.

But, the day before term is due to start James receives a letter from Peter saying he has finally transformed and his animal form is a rat. James had to reread that several times before deciding he must have read it right. A rat is such a strange animal for Peter. He wishes he could understand the reasoning behind how your animal form is chosen. It would help him understand his own better as well.

The next morning James says goodbye to his parents on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and smiles as he boards the Hogwarts Express. He is extremely excited for his first day of fifth year, knowing that this year is definitely going to be different.

* * *

Lily is ecstatic as she walks along the platform, scarlet steam engine roaring on her left. She knows this year is going to even better than last year, which apart from James Potter asking her out thirty-three times (Mary had kept a count), had been very good.

Lily spots Sev standing nearby saying goodbye to his mother and she makes her way over to him. He gives her a small wave as she gets nearer and in response she throws her long hair over her shoulder. To some this simple act would look like a dismissal of his wave or even a flirtatious gesture, but to Lily this is her way of making sure that Sev doesn't miss the shiny new prefects badge on her chest. His eyes widened as he sees the badge and Lily feels a wave of guilt at the obvious lack of one on his chest.

He waves to his mother as she disapparates and he turns to meet her. "So, you're a prefect." He states without a hint of excitement or joy in his voice.

"Yep!" She replies not sensing his tone. She's sad to see that Slughorn didn't choose Sev for the role and wonders who else in Slytherin could possibly deserve this honor if not him.

"Well congratulations Lily. You deserve it." He says putting on an obviously fake smile.

She wonders if he's upset because their already limited time together, what with being in separate houses, would be even more limited now she is a prefect. Not to mention how much time they will need to spend studying for O.W.L.'s this year. She hadn't realized how little amount of time she'd be able to spend with Sev. But she shakes her head, she refuses to think like that, they will find time for each other, and besides they take all the same classes, except for one, they will be able to study together no problem.

She's about to ask him why he's upset when she hears a male voice calling her name.

"Lily, Hey! Lily!" She turns and sees Remus Lupin coming towards them with a shiny badge on his chest.

She hears Sev groan and she turns back to him. "Why don't you get us a compartment and I will catch up with you after I am done patrolling, shouldn't be any later than lunchtime." She assures him. Sev agrees reluctantly and stalks off towards the train.

Lily turns to wait for Lupin and finds him standing behind her. She lets out a gasp of surprise.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" He asks concerned.

"No, I just didn't expect you to get here that fast. Did you run?" She asks.

"Yeah, I thought that you were ignoring me when you turned your back, sorry." He admits shamefaced.

"It's ok." She says. "So you got one too then." She says nodding to his badge.

In all honesty Lily is relieved that it's Lupin. She had been worried up until now that McGonagall would go momentarily mad and name Black as a prefect or even worse Potter. Pettigrew would have been an alright choice, he is quiet and isn't ever the mastermind behind The Marauders pranks, just a participant, but she is pleased with her Head of House's choice. Lupin is the only one with any sense as far as Lily can tell.

"Yep!" He confirms. "I knew you would get one too. It was either you or maybe Beth, but I was pretty sure it was you." He smiles a little nervously. _Is he always like this?_ Thinking back on the little amount of time she has spent with him he never seemed this nervous before. _Is it just me? Do I intimidate him?_ The thought seems to boost her confidence.

"I'm looking forward to working with you." He says holding out a hand to her. Lily looks at it suspiciously for a moment. He is a Marauder after all. Deciding that it's safe she shakes his hand.

"We should get to the Prefect's Carriage." She tells him and they set off.

"Who do you think it will be from the other houses?" He asks her as they walk.

"Well, I saw Albert Jorkins from Hufflepuff with a badge as I was coming through the barrier and Primrose Flume in Ravenclaw wrote to me over the summer to say she got one." She informs him.

"I knew Prim would get one, but I saw that blonde girl from Slytherin with a badge a few minutes before I spotted you; her name is Jessica or something."

"Jennifer, Jennifer Burke." Lily corrects him suppressing a groan. Jennifer Burke is an incredibly vicious girl who never has anything nice to say... ever.

After getting their assignments and the passwords to the Gryffindor common room and the Prefect's Bathroom, Lily and Remus take to patrolling the carriages.

"So, how do your mates feel about you being a prefect?" She asks him a small smirk on her face. They are the biggest rule breakers in school. No way can they be excited that one of them has to act responsible now, well, _should_ act responsible now.

He shrugs. "A little surprised, James less so than the others. He says it makes sense and that he knew it would be me, he and Sirius cause too much trouble to be ignored and while I do too, I don't flaunt it like they do. Which I suppose is true. But the rest of us thought it'd be Sirius, including Sirius." He laughs.

Lily looks at him bewildered. "Black? Why would you ever think McGonagall would pick Black?"

He shrugs again. "I just never thought she would trust me with it and it had to be one of us, why not Sirius?" He reasons.

Lily frowns at him. He isn't nearly as bad as she'd thought. He's definitely more humble than Black or Potter could ever be and seems to be kinder too. "Why not Pettigrew?" She asks fairly. Remus looks at her a little taken aback.

"Have you met Peter? He wouldn't be able to intimidate a slug let alone a pack of Slytherin seventh years."

Lily considers that for a moment. It's true, Pettigrew isn't remotely frightening and to be able to use your authority and have people listen to you, you have to be a little bit intimidating. "Well, I'm glad it's you rather than Potter or Black," then after a second of consideration she adds with a smile, "or Pettigrew." Remus chuckles.

"Why? Don't you like Peter?" He asks. He doesn't inquire about Potter or Black and she figures it's because she has made her feelings about them perfectly clear to everyone.

"He is just… strange, I guess."

"He isn't bad. He is just shy around girls. He doesn't shut up normally. He's a really good bloke and a great friend." He tells her.

As they finish their rounds Remus enters the last compartment on the train, or as its better known to most of the Hogwarts population, The Marauder's Compartment.

"You can sit with us Evans!" Potter calls to her from the seat closest to the window.

Lily just rolls her eyes and walks off to find Severus. He should be waiting for her in a compartment somewhere. She finds him near the middle of the train, but he's not alone as she had expected. He's sitting with four of the worst people Lily can imagine: Richard Mulciber, William Avery, Evan Rosier and Jennifer Burke. The last two sporting prefect badges on their chests yet they make no attempt to patrol the corridors.

_Maybe Sev's just sitting with them while he waits for me to finish with prefect duties_, she thinks hopefully. Lily waves at him trying to catch his eye but to her displeasure it's Burke who sees her first.

"Ewe, there is a Mudblood waving at us!" She shrieks. "Quick close the door before the stench gets in!" She commands and Rosier complies sliding the glass door closed in Lily's face. He snorts with laughter as he closes the shade.

The last thing Lily sees from inside the compartment is Severus' apologetic look. She wills herself not to cry as she turns away from the compartment. He ditched her, not only that, but he ditched her for people who insulted her horribly right in front of him and he didn't even speak a word in her defense.

She walks off in search of Mary and Beth. Hopefully they aren't too upset at her for not going to Mary's party again this year. _Maybe this year won't be as wonderful as I'd hoped, _she thinks sadly_._

* * *

James lounges on a couch in the Room of Requirement, Peter and Sirius sitting across him, awaiting Remus. He had to patrol the corridors with Lily before he could come meet them tonight. It's only the second day back and Remus' new position has already put a damper on their day to day life.

James is actually slightly jealous of Remus. Though he would never admit it out loud, he really wanted to be a prefect, like his mother had been. But, he knows that Remus is a much better fit for the job and that he deserves the honor far more than himself.

Being a prefect isn't the only thing making James jealous of his friend though. He's far more jealous of the fact that Remus gets to spend several hours a week patrolling alone with Lily Evans. Lily, the girl James has been infatuated with for nearly two years now even though she has never shown any interest in him. In fact, she often treats him as if he is less than human.

Just then the door swings open and Remus clambers in. "Sorry I'm late. We came across these two sixth year girls having a go at each other down the Charms Corridor. Lily had to immobilize them just so we could pull them apart."

Sirius lets out a low whistle. "Nothing like a good bird fight." He says smirking.

James chuckles and Peter asks, "What were they fighting about?"

"Something about the one girl asking out the other girl's crush. Mad really." They all laugh, but in the back of James' mind he is thinking what he would do to his friends if one of them ever had the nerve to ask Lily out.

"Right, let's get down to it then." Sirius says in a business like tone.

They are meeting tonight so that everyone can get a look at Peter's Animagus form. He wouldn't transform until they were all there, so now that Remus is present, they can finally see Peter as a rat. Peter stands and beams at them, soaking up all the attention. They watch as he shrinks and changes into a little plump grey rat. He runs around at their feet for a moment before transforming back to his human form.

"Well, what do you think? Pretty cool, right?" He asks excitedly. They all clap for him and tell him it is brilliant.

"I was thinking over the summer, we should come up with nicknames. Names we alone know the meaning of so that we can talk about our transformations without really talking about them." Sirius suggests. "You can all call me The Grim." He tells them with a suave smile. James and Remus burst out laughing at this.

"What are you laughing at Bambi?" Sirius shoots at James.

James raises his eyebrows in confusion and looks from Remus to Peter. "Bambi? What's a Bambi?" He asks Sirius.

"Oh, right, you lot wouldn't understand. One night over the summer I found this old Muggle movie theater in London, and they played this film, a cartoon. It was about this baby deer." Seeing the looks of confusion on everyone's face he stops. "Oh never mind you wouldn't get it, bad reference." He says shaking his head in disappointment. Sirius is the only one in their group to take Muggle Studies, so the rest of them didn't understand a word he had said.

James decides to change the subject and looks back to Peter who had been about to say something before Sirius began babbling his nonsense. "Why don't we pick each other's nicknames?" Peter suggests. The others agree excitedly.

"We will meet back here again tomorrow night with nicknames for each other." Remus confirms.

James is to choose Sirius', Sirius will select Peter's, Peter is picking Remus' and Remus will decide James'. They leave the room, crouching under the invisibility cloak as they don't all really fit anymore.

The next night, James is practically bouncing in his seat with anticipation. He had thought of the best name for Sirius last night and couldn't wait to tell the others.

"I have the best name for you Pete, you're going to love it!" Sirius says excitedly.

"Well then why don't you go first?" Remus suggests.

"Wormtail." Sirius says simply. James and Remus nod approvingly but Peter just looks at Sirius. "You know, because you're a rat and rat's tails look like worms." He explains, clearly not pleased by Peter's lack of a response.

"I think it's brilliant." James says and Remus agrees.

Peter frowns slightly. "I guess that'll work."

James, sensing the tension building between Sirius and Peter, speaks up. "Well, Sirius, I think my name for you might just top that." Sirius' expression clears as he looks at James expectantly. "Padfoot."

"Nice!" Sirius says slapping hands with his best mate.

"Good one, Prongs!" Remus says.

"Prongs?" James says considering it. "Prongs, yeah, I like that!"

"What's Remus' name, Wormtail?" Sirius asks.

"Moony." Peter says in a small voice. James, Sirius and Remus all look at him in confusion.

"That's the best you could come up with?" Sirius asks irritated.

"Well I like it." Remus defends. "It's short and to the point."

James nods. "Alright, so we are Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs – The Marauders."

Remus smiles. "We are going to be legendary."

Lost in their own brilliance the four boys start to work on plans for the full moon the next week. How they plan to get in the Whomping Willow, the precautions they will take to make sure everything goes smoothly. James promises Remus that if anything goes wrong they won't even attempt it ever again.

They are young and have just achieved extraordinary magic. Nothing could bring these four down.

* * *

Lily's footsteps echo down the deserted corridor as she walks.

Remus told her earlier that day that he felt ill and that he was going to the Hospital Wing and asked if she minded doing the patrol alone tonight. At the time she had told him that she didn't mind at all and she hoped he felt better, believing his story of being ill. But after lunch she had overheard Potter and Black talking about how The Marauders are sneaking into Hogsmeade tonight. This infuriates her. Remus skived off his prefect duties so he can sneak into Hogsmeade illegally and get drunk – illegally.

She finishes her rounds and heads back to the common room hoping to get some homework done, but it's no use. She is too angry to concentrate on Binns' boring essay on goblin rebellions. She decides to just give up and go to bed.

After an uneasy night Lily awakes much earlier than usual. She checks the time and groans. It's just barely five. She rolls out of bed knowing it's pointless to try and get anymore sleep, and pulls on her bath robe. She decides that since she is up she might as well go take a long bath in the Prefect's Bathroom.

She treads through the familiar corridors easily, down to the fifth floor and stops in front of the fifth door on the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered and says, "Rose Bud".

The door swings open and Lily walks in she sees that it is not empty as she had hoped. James Potter stands in front a long mirror wearing nothing but a bath towel, examining a large gash on his right shoulder. She shrieks and covers her eyes with her hands.

"I'm so sorry Potter! I didn't realize anyone would be in here so early!"

He chuckles. "It's ok, Evans. I –" He begins but Lily cuts him off suddenly.

"What _are_ you doing in here Potter? This is the Prefect's Bathroom. Did Remus give you the password?" She asks with her hands on her hips, trying to ignore his toned and slightly hairy chest.

Potter gives her a look of confusion that quickly turns to amusement. "I am disappointed in you, Evans. Surely someone who has spent their entire life learning and abiding by rules would know that each house's Quidditch Captain is allowed to use the Prefect's Bathroom." He says and gives her a cocky grin.

Lily frowns, she had forgotten about that. "Oh right, well you better not let Black in here." She says in a warning tone.

Potter smiles, but not in a self-assured way. "I won't, I swear." He says and lifts his arms up as if in innocence but then winces and turns back to the mirror to see fresh blood oozing from the deep cut on his shoulder.

"What did you do to your shoulder?" Lily asks. _Why do I care? _She asks herself. _It has to be that I just can't stand to see anything in pain, no matter how vile it is. _She decides.

"I fell and cut it on some rock."

"How did you fall on rock at five in the morning?" She asks genuinely interested. He just shrugs, trying but failing to heal the wound.

Lily sighs and walks over to him. "Let me try." She says and pulls him into better lighting as she begins to heal the wound. She has to stand on tip-toe to get a good look for he has yet again grown a few centimeters. Madam Pomfrey had showed Lily how to heal cuts and abrasions when she had cut her hand in Potions last term. That cut had been a lot shallower though.

"This is what you get, you know, for staying out all night." She informs him.

James sputters and whips around quickly. "Who told you about that?" He asks a panicked look in his eyes.

"Everyone knows you four snuck into Hogsmeade last night to get drunk." She says unconcerned.

James visibly relaxes at her words and turns around once more to let her finish her work. "Right." He says in a relieved tone.

"There you go, Potter, good as new." Lily says running her fingers over the spot where the cut had been only moments before.

"Ah, that's much better. Thanks, Evans." She smiles behind him, knowing he can't see. _He's not all bad. At least he is grateful._

He turns around to face her and Lily realizes that her hand had still been on his shoulder. He gives her a cheeky grin. "See, I knew you couldn't keep your hands off me."

Without hesitation Lily shoves him backwards with all the strength she can muster. He stumbles and falls into the gigantic pool-like bathtub full of water and bubbles.

"Oy! What was that for?" He calls when his head resurfaces.

"For being an arrogant little berk, Potter!"

"An arrogant berk you would like to accompany to Hogsmeade this weekend?" He asks with a hint of something Lily doesn't quite recognize in his voice.

"I don't want to accompany you anywhere!" She yells and storms from the bathroom, all ideas of a nice relaxing bath forgotten.

She is so angry and distracted that she doesn't pay attention to where she's going and ends up having to double back. _Why do I let him get to me like this? I always let him get under my skin. He just knows how to push my buttons_.

"Stupid wanker." She mutters under her breath. And with a cackle Peeves appears above her head.

"That's not a nice thing for a young lady to say." He jokes, holding several bottles of black ink.

"I wasn't talking to you, Peeves. Shove off." She says angrily. Peeves, though, never takes orders from students. He mimics pouring an ink bottle over her and smiles. "You wouldn't dare Peeves, I'm a prefect." She warns.

"Oooo, the ickle prefect wants inky in her hairy." Peeves taunts.

Lily weighs her options and decides to make a run for it, turning the corner quickly she runs headlong into something hard.

"Hey, watch it!" Says the voice of none other than James Potter. Lily stands up from where they both lay on the ground.

"Sorry Potter, but hurry up. Peeves is about to pelt us with ink if you don't move." She says hurriedly.

James just rolls his eyes at her and casts a shield charm above them. "Really Evans, are you feeling ok this morning? Usually you're not this distracted."

Lily can't help but notice, as he gets up from the floor, that he still isn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes roam over his chest and follow a line of hair that disappears into his pajama bottoms then quickly snap back to his face before he notices.

"Do you always walk around the castle like this?" She asks before she can stop herself.

He smirks. "Not usually, but my shirt was blood stained from my shoulder so I had to throw it out. It bothers you that I'm not wearing a shirt, does it?" The arrogance drips from his words.

Lily hates herself for the blush that creeps into her cheeks and she quickly changes the subject. "How did you get here so fast anyway? You were still soaking wet when I left." She asks suspiciously.

"Guess I know shortcuts only a Marauder can know."

_Again with the arrogance. _Lily makes a gagging noise and turns to walk away.

"Wait!" Potter says grabbing her arm. Not tightly, or forcefully, just holding her back.

Sure that this will end with another one of his ridiculous invites to Hogsmeade, she jerks her arm away and continues down the hall. Lily has forgotten all about Peeves by now. He pops back into sight above her head and lets out a loud raspberry. When she looks up at him he dumps three ink wells on her head.

"I was trying to warn you that Peeves doesn't give up that easily." Potter says sounding as if he is holding in a laugh. "Surely even you know that."

Lily feels like a complete fool. The anger inside her is bubbling over. She is standing in the middle of the seventh floor corridor covered in black ink with James Potter standing, shirtless, a few feet away mocking her. _What have I ever done to deserve this?_

"Don't worry." Potter begins as Peeves floats away cackling madly. "It happens to the best of us." He says with a sad smile and a shrug, as if he knows she is about to cry and this is his way of cheering her up. Still she doesn't speak.

"Here, let me." He says kindly and with a flick of his wand Lily feels her hair and clothes lighten as the ink leaves them. _Why is he being so nice to me?_

"You'll need to ditch the clothes though." He says.

_Ah, there's the Potter I know, trying to get me out of my clothes._ She meets his eyes for the first time since the ink hit her and gives him a reproachful look.

"I will not take my clothes off for you, Potter!" She shrieks. "No way in hell." She adds more quietly and then storms away from him again.

She makes her way back to her dormitory and examines her reflection in the mirror by her bedside. She is prepared to see her hair and skin dyed from the black goo that had been splashed upon her. But as she turns around she can't help but admire Potter's wand work. He had erased all traces of ink from her hair and skin. Her clothes left the only hint that she had even encountered Peeves at all.

Then Potter's words sink in. He hadn't wanted her to strip for him at all. He was just telling her that she would need to throw away the clothes she was wearing because he couldn't get the ink out of them. Again Lily feels like a fool. _Why do I always think the worst of him? _She wonders and then quickly shakes herself from these kinds of thoughts. He only helped her because he pities her. And no one likes to be pitied.

She changes into her school robes and holds her head high as she walks down to breakfast with Mary and Beth.

* * *

James is walking down to breakfast with Sirius and Peter on first day of winter, all three anticipating their latest prank with excitement. Remus, who has refused to join in any pranks since becoming a prefect, left for breakfast early so that he could get the grand effect. The three of them pause for a moment outside the Great Hall.

"On my count." James says. "One… Two…" The excitement floods through. "Three!" They all take one step forward into the hall.

The hall turns white with the thick falling snow in every direction. Students and teachers alike begin looking around for the source of the snow. Then the suits of armor lining the halls transfigure into large snowmen and begin pelting Slytherins with snowballs. The hall erupts with laughter and James and Sirius grin at each other, pleased with the effect the prank was having.

With a loud bang from the head table the hall falls silent. Professor Dumbledore stands up and smiles. "Very ingenious Mr.'s Potter, Black and Pettigrew." He calls to them. "But it is getting a bit chilly in here, so if you don't mind, please make the snow desist."

"Sure thing, Sir." James calls and Sirius flicks his wand and the snow immediately stops falling.

"Thank you. I must say that was quite impressive magic, I do hope that you are putting that sort of effort into your school work as well." He says with another grin. James and Sirius grin back. Dumbledore knows they are top in almost all their lessons.

"We do, Sir." Sirius calls back.

"Very good. And the snowmen?" Dumbledore asks.

"They, uh, won't stop until they melt, Sir." James replies.

"Ah, I will leave your punishment up to your Head of House then. Please take your seats and let's enjoy a quiet breakfast shall we?"

"Yes Sir." They chorus and make their way to the Gryffindor table where they take their seats around Remus. He looks as if she is holding back a laugh.

"Did you see the one hit Mulciber right in the eye?" Peter asks and Remus bursts out in laughter. James and Sirius join in and soon they are laughing themselves silly.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" Says a voice James knows all too well. Lily Evans stands behind him and Remus with her hands on her hips looking stern.

"Pretty clever, yeah." Sirius answers with a smirk.

"Well, I'm here to tell you that a first year could have made it snow in the Great Hall." She sneers.

"Yes Evans, but could a first year transfigure all the suits of armor into snowmen that only melt once all the Slytherins have left the hall?" James asks.

"Or could first years charm said snowmen to only pelt snowballs at Slytherins fourth year and above?" Sirius asks.

"You know, Padfoot." James says as Lily's smile slides off her face. "I don't think they could have."

Peter sniggers at their cheek and Lily turns on Remus. "I'm disappointed in you Remus, you are a prefect."

Mary and Beth join her now as Peter speaks up. "He had nothing to do with it!" He protests.

"Still." Lily huffs and walks away.

Mary squeezes James' shoulder. "Well I thought it was brilliant." She says before following after Lily.

"Me too!" Beth agrees. "Even if you say you didn't take part Remus, I know they couldn't do it without your intelligence." She says and touches his arm softly before turning and following her friends. James and Sirius turn on Remus.

"We couldn't have done it without your intelligence, eh Moony?" James mocks. Remus blushes a deep shade of crimson.

"I don't know what you're waiting for, mate." Sirius says. "Beth is hot, you should go for it."

Remus grins then. "Lily told me the other night during patrol that Beth has a crush on me. I was thinking about asking her to go with me on the next Hogsmeade trip."

James is about to ask him what else he and Lily talk about on patrols when McGonagall descends upon them then.

"Well boys, as impressed as I am with the level of transfiguration you achieved today, I still urge to you to only use such skill in the classroom. Today's act could have hurt any number of students and I cannot condone it." They all nod.

"Yes Professor." James says almost lazily. He has become far too used to remonstrations to be too concerned by them.

"As usual, I must write home to your families to let them know what mischief you have gotten into this week and I think a detention each will suffice. Mr. Lupin, as you were not with these three buffoons when they entered the hall, am I to assume you did not take part in this?" She asks. Remus nods and McGonagall gives him a smile. "You do not have to serve a detention then and I will not write to your family. Now hurry along boys or you will be late for your first lesson."

-L-3-J-

James breathes in the fresh air as he walks down to the Quidditch Pitch. It is his favorite time of the year, early spring.

Beth walks beside him talking enthusiastically about their upcoming practice. Since this is his first year as Captain he has been calling tri-weekly training sessions. His team doesn't often complain, at least to his face. This is Beth's first year on the team as she had only been a reserve before now. He is proud of how far she has come. In his opinion, if she wanted to, she could be a professional Seeker.

"Oh, there's Mary. We should say hello." Beth says, breaking him from him from his reverie. She squints in her friend's direction. "Who is that she is talking to?" She asks James. He looks over to where Mary is standing by the lake with two boys.

"Probably a couple new boyfriends. Wasn't she just babbling on this morning about how she was over that Ravenclaw bloke?" He responds dismissively his mind now on the training session.

"You know, I think that is Mulciber and Avery. But, Mary hates them. So I don't understand why she would be talking to them." Beth says more to herself than to James. James freezes at the names.

"Let's go check it out." He says and makes a bee-line for the trio.

Mulciber and Avery are part of a nasty group of Slytherins that are rumored to be Death Eater wannabes. James doesn't want Mary hanging round them, even if he has to drag her away. As they approach none of the three people by the lake pay them any attention.

"I told you to bow before me Mudblood and lick the dirt from my shoes." Mulciber says and Avery laughs insanely at this.

Mary just stares at him looking terrified. Mulciber raises his wand. "Imper –"

James jumps between Mary and the two Slytherins knocking Mulciber's arm so that the curse misses her. After making sure both Mary and Beth are shielded behind him he addresses Mulciber.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size for a change?" He asks pointing his wand at them. Mulciber is definitely larger than James and Avery may have more muscles but talent wise, James knows they can't compare.

"Skive off Potter, this doesn't concern you." Avery says.

"Do you feel manlier, Mulciber, using unforgivable curses on an innocent witch?" James asks, ignoring Avery, his disgust apparent in his voice. Both Avery and Mulciber point their wands at James and he smirks. He is about to hurl another insult their way when they hear Hagrid's booming voice.

"Not fighting I hope. I wouldn't want to have to go get a professor." He calls.

Mulciber sneers at James, telling him clearly that this is not over. "Not fighting." Avery says as they back away slowly, only lowering their wands when they are more fifty meters away.

"You all right, James?" Hagrid asks.

"We're fine, thanks Hagrid." James says and waves to his giant friend. Hagrid nods and continues on his way to the castle.

James turns back to the girls behind him. Beth has a reassuring hand on Mary who is shaking now with silent tears and possibly anger. James puts his arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, come with us to practice. I'll show you all my best moves." He jokes, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Mary smiles at his joke and links arms with Beth and the three walk down to the Quidditch Pitch together.

James sends Beth off to the changing room with the rest of the team so he can talk to Mary for a moment.

"Mary, listen to me, you can't let them get to you like that. I know they seem tough and it must be frightening because they are so much bigger than you, but they only have the power you give them. Be strong and what they say can't hurt you. Eventually when they notice you aren't affected by their words, they'll leave you be." He isn't entirely convinced by his own words, but he knows that Mary can't fall apart in front of them like she did today. It'll only make it worse for her and he can't always be around to intervene.

"Thanks James. You're like the big brother that I never asked for but somehow ended up with." James chuckles at her joke.

"Take a seat in the stands, Beth and I will walk you back to the castle after practice." He tells her. She nods and walks off towards the stands. James smiles, even though she was joking, she made a good point. She really is like the sister he never wanted yet strangely enjoyed having.

* * *

Lily glances up from her Arithmancy homework for what feels like the hundredth time. She's been waiting in the library for Mary for nearly an hour. They were supposed to meet up to study. She is really starting to worry if something happened to her when she finally turns up breathing heavily with Beth behind her, still in her Quidditch robes.

"Finally!" she says exasperatedly to Mary and looks to Beth. "I thought you had Quidditch?"

"I did, we were at practice when Mary remembered she was supposed to meet you. She couldn't wait five minutes for me to change, and James wouldn't let her come alone. So here I am Quidditch robes and all." She says holding her arms out.

"Potter didn't think you could find the library on your own?" Lily asks scornfully. "Just because he has never set foot –"

"It's not that." Mary says cutting Lily off. "He just doesn't want me walking round on my own right now." She explains.

Lily rolls her eyes. "Typical Potter." He always acts like the Gryffindor girls are too fragile to even move.

Both girls shake their heads at her. "We can't talk here. Let's go up to our dorm." Beth says looking around.

Lily is extremely confused but follows her friends up to Gryffindor Tower. On the way they pass Black and Pettigrew who are heading down to the Great Hall for dinner. "Wrong way ladies, the hot stuff is this way!" Black calls after them.

Mary sniggers at his words but otherwise ignores him. When they finally reach the confines of their dorm Beth checks to make sure Caitlin is not in the bathroom and then sits on the edge of Lily's bed.

"You should probably start it off Mary, since I only know then ending." She says and Mary nods.

"Well, I knew that you had Quidditch practice Beth, and Lily had a prefect's meeting, so I decided to take a walk around the lake until I was supposed to meet Lily." Mary begins and sits with her legs tucked to her chest and her arms hugging them tight. Lily is trying to figure out where this story is heading, she has a nasty feeling she won't like it.

"I was just about to head back to the castle when Mulciber and Avery stopped me. They asked what I was up to and I told them it was none of their business. Well, Mulciber didn't like that much, so he pulled his wand on me and Avery followed suit. I knew there was no way I would reach my wand in time so I just stood there while he said… just awful, horrible things. When I told him to shove off, he told me to bow at his feet like scum like me should. But I didn't move, I was so scared, and then he raised his wand –" She breaks off then as she starts to cry.

Lily moves to her side and tries to comfort her. She can't imagine how scary such a situation would be, she has no idea what she would have done if it were her. "What did you do?" Lily asks in a comforting tone but Mary seems unable to answer.

"I think I can help here." Beth says. "James and I were walking down to the Quidditch Pitch and saw Mary talking to those two arseholes and I thought it seemed funny, but James jumped into action and led me over to them, I think he suspected something was up." She says knowingly.

"He stepped in between Mary and Mulciber before he could do anything and told him to back off and pick on someone his own size." Lily mentally rolls her eyes at Potters assumption that a girl isn't a match against Mulciber.

"Then, Hagrid showed up and broke us up. They went back to the castle and we took Mary down to the pitch with us. James didn't want her wondering around on her own, probably because he thought Mulciber and Avery would be waiting for her. So she stayed with us, until she remembered she was supposed to have met you." Beth finishes the story and Mary nods to confirm it.

"Oh Mary, I am so… so sorry." Lily tells her. _It's so unfair. Mary gets all the prejudice of being Muggle-born and no one is even certain that she is._

It is extremely likely that she is Muggle-born and that's how she ended up in that orphanage. Could be that her parents couldn't explain why funny things kept happening to their child so they dropped her off at the orphanage unwilling to put up with it any longer, possibly even scared of her. It makes sense, but there was always a chance that they were magical folk and the circumstances were beyond their control. Lily doesn't think that very likely though.

"We need to be careful, Lily." Mary says rousing Lily from her thoughts. "They will target us even more now."

Lily looks at Mary's tear stained face and nods. It scares Lily that Mary has been accosted in such a way, surely it will be worse for her if she's ever in that situation, for there is no doubt that she is truly Muggle-born. But she is trying not to worry about it too much. The worst any of them have ever done is call her horrible names or make awful faces and gestures at her, they have never physically confronted her. But she is sure, now that it has started, her time will come.

What is really upsetting her the most right now is that poor Sev has to share a dormitory with these awful people. _He must not understand what his so called friends are really like._

There's no doubt in her mind that Sev would stand up against the cruelty that Mary had been put through today. Mulciber was actually going to use Dark Magic on her. Surely Sev wouldn't let his mates do that. A few nasty comments here and there Lily can see how he feels it's not his place to correct them, but this… No this is too much.

After comforting Mary, Lily decides to go see if dinner is still going so she can get them all some food. She nearly runs into Potter and Pettigrew on her way out of the portrait hole.

"Ah, Evans, Just the witch I've been dying to see!" Potter says with a grin. "Hogsmeade weekend, last one before the Easter holidays, what do you say, meet me in the common room round eleven?" He asks.

Lily decides not to even dignify this with a response. "So dinner must be over if you two are back. Where's Remus? We have patrol in an hour." She says not even commenting on Black's absence.

"Dinner is still going actually." Potter comments.

"And Remus is in the hospital wing, surely you knew that. He's been there since lunch." Pettigrew says with a hint of condescension.

"Oh yes, I had wondered why he missed the prefect's meeting today, but I didn't have any classes with him this afternoon." She says defensively. "Is he alright?" She asks. Neither of them looks at all concerned for their friend's well-being, surely if he's ill they should be up there keeping him company.

"Nothing Rem can't handle." Potter says giving Lily another one of his cheeky grins. She is quite sick of those grins.

"Well, I need to get some food. Excuse me." She says and pushes past them out the portrait hole.

"But what about our date Evans, is eleven all right?" Potter calls after her, but she again ignores him.

Lily sits, later that night after patrolling alone, in the common room finishing up a Herbology essay when Mary and Beth join her at their table.

Mary's eyes are still red and puffy from crying. "Where are The Marauders tonight, I could do with a laugh." She says.

Lily looks around the common room. Come to think of it, she hasn't seen them since the run in at the portrait hole. Usually they are the center of attention in the common room at night; they always have a game or entertainment of some sort going on.

"Hey you, Shacklebolt!" Beth calls to a tall black boy who Lily had seen around but never spoke to. She thinks he may be a first or second year.

"Yes?" He asks in a deep voice that Lily hadn't been expecting.

"Have you seen The Marauders tonight?" She asks him.

"No, not since after dinner, I think they went up to their dormitory." He answers and then runs over to his friends who huddled around him to hear what the pretty fifth year wanted to talk to him about. Lily smiles at the thought; she misses those carefree days when an older student talking to you was the most exciting thing to happen in your week.

"Damn, I was looking forward to them distracting me." Mary says disappointed.

Lily smiles at her friend. While she is perfectly aware that Potter and Black are both arrogant berks, she also knows them to be pretty funny when their jokes didn't come at the expense of someone else. She can understand how Mary would want them to distract her.

"Me too." Beth agrees.

"Well, might as well go to bed, there's no point staying down here if The Marauders aren't here to cheer us up." Mary says with a smirk. Beth agrees and then Lily packs away her essay knowing she won't get much more done tonight anyway.

* * *

**A/N – The more I write this story, the more I want to write it. :) So, most likely Chapter 5 will be posted shortly. And if I decide to be an insomniac, then 6 as well.**

**Let me know what you think. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – Here is chapter 5. Hope you like it. ****Enjoy!**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

**Anything that you recognize is indeed from the beautiful mind of J.K. Rowling, but check the end of the chapter to see where to find the ones I used and tweaked slightly. **

* * *

"Come on, Padfoot! We are going to be late. Moony's been down there nearly twenty minutes." Peter says impatiently.

James looks over and sees his best mate just sitting on the window ledge staring down on the grounds.

"Grimy git," Sirius mutters, "knew he wouldn't show." James stares at him in confusion.

"Who's a grimy git?" He asks.

"Who else Prongs?" Sirius shoots back annoyed.

"Snape." James nods.

"And where didn't he show?" Peter asks voice conveying the confusion that James feels.

Sirius looks at them and sighs. "He is always so concerned with where Moony goes, so I told him that he sneaks out under the Whomping Willow."

James feels his body freeze midway through tying up his trainers. _Sirius didn't actually tell Snape that. He wouldn't. He is just joking. He has to be. Sirius would never do that… Right?_

"Stupid prat. He wants to know so badly that he is willing recruit _my_ brother. He was desperate enough to try and manipulate Reg. So, I told him all he had to do was prod the knot on the Whomping Willow and he would see exactly where Moony goes." Sirius continues nearly spitting with anger._He can't have done. Sirius knows better than that_. James thinks, trying to convince himself.

"This is a joke, right? Please tell me this is a bad joke." James pleads with his friend.

"What's the big deal Prongs? He didn't even show. We both know he's too chicken to go near the Whomping Willow. No one but us goes near it after what happened to that Gudgeon kid in second year."

James feels the anger boiling under his skin. _So it's true. He really did tell Snape how to get into the willow._

"What's the big deal Sirius? So what if he didn't show tonight, what if he tries it in the daylight? Surely he will be able to guess what Remus is after he sees the inside of the Shrieking Shack! You never use your head, do you?" James says the anger in his voice barely contained.

Sirius opens his mouth to reply but Peter, standing by the window just watching the exchange unfold, turns his head suddenly and gasps. Sirius turns to look too and his face drains of color.

"I can't believe it… he –" James doesn't need for him to finish his sentence. His heart pounding he races to the window and can make out the unmistakable scrawny silhouette of Severus Snape walking cautiously down the stone steps.

Without thinking James tears past Peter and down the stairs. He flies through the common room and out of the portrait hole not caring about getting caught. James begins to panic as he dashes through the castle that, even with all his knowledge of the secret passages and shortcuts, he still won't make it in time.

If Snape gets to the tree and somehow presses the knot as Sirius had instructed he will be able to wind his way down the passage and find Remus, if full wolf form. Not being an Animagus Snape isn't safe. He will either be mangled and infected himself or – The alternative is too gruesome for James to even consider.

James slams himself through the oak front doors and bounds down the stone steps. He can just make out the tree's outline and to his immense displeasure not even so much as a leaf is moving. He pushes himself harder, urging for his legs to move faster. With all his Quidditch training and running around as a stag he has built up a pretty good speed, but it isn't fast enough.

His mind racing, heart thudding violently in his chest he throws himself towards the open hole at the willow's base, the entrance to passageway. He can hear the rustling of the branches and before he makes it safely through the hole he feels the tree whip him across the pumping through his veins James feels no pain from the hit and continues on with hast.

He wishes more than anything that Snape hasn't reached the Shack yet. He reaches the part of the tunnel where he must crouch and it considerably slows him down but after only a few seconds he hears footsteps ahead and his heart lightens. He's gaining on Snape. He does, after all, know this passage extremely well and could walk it blind.

James reaches the door that leads to the Shack and stops short seeing Snape standing in the frame, staring up through a hole in the ceiling at the enormous brown wolf, who by some extraordinary stroke of luck hadn't noticed him yet.

James grabs Snape by his robes and pulls him back through the door closing it tightly behind him. Snape seems to be in some stage of shock and can't tear his eyes away from the door. James half carries him, hurriedly trying to get out of the tunnel.

When they get to the entrance James makes to freeze the tree but is slightly shocked to see that it is already frozen. He looks round to see Dumbledore and Sirius coming to a halt in front of them. He climbs out of the opening and helps Snape out as well. Snape immediately doubles over and retches against the trunk of the willow. James begins to pant as he looks up into the face of his Headmaster. Dumbledore's face is grave as he steps forward.

"Come on boys. Away from the tree, we must let it serve its purpose." He says solemnly. James nods and walks behind a stumbling Snape, out of the trees range.

"Mr. Snape, I would like you to head straight to the Hospital Wing. Do not speak to anyone except Madam Pomfrey. Tell her it is my orders that you receive a calming draft. I will collect you in an hour's time. Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, follow me please."

James doesn't dare look at the others as they walk. Snape splits off on the second floor heading for the Hospital Wing as instructed and he and Sirius continuing to follow the professor to his office. Once they take their seats in front of the Headmaster's desk, Dumbledore speaks.

"I must say, this has to be the worst offense I have ever had to bring either of you into this office for." He says with a look of disappointment that nearly breaks James. "Now, I have the gist of the story but as it was a rushed situation, I would like you to please start over from the beginning Mr. Black."

Sirius clears his throat before speaking. "We, that is to say, James, Peter and I, were walking back from dinner tonight when we heard hurried voices coming from an unused classroom." Sirius begins. "We went over to have a listen. Uh – we were curious, you see." Sirius says as if eavesdropping was their worst crime tonight.

Dumbledore inclines his head to him. "Curiosity is not a sin, Mr. Black. Please continue."

"Well, it turned out to be Sniv– Snape, I mean." He says catching himself. "And my brother, Regulus. Snape was asking Reg if I ever told him where Remus sneaks out to at night. Reg told him he didn't know. Snape then asked him to try and coax it out of me. He said, 'Surely, since you're brothers he will tell you'. It disgusted me. So, I barged into the room with James and Peter behind me. I told them and Reg to leave. I wanted to talk to Snape on my own. They did and once they left, I asked Snape why he didn't just ask me himself where Remus goes. He said he knew I would lie to him." Sirius pauses and looks up at his Headmaster.

"You see Sir, James, Peter and I have known about Remus' condition since second year. We know where he goes every month at the full moon with Madam Pomfrey."

Dumbledore again nods. "Naturally, with as close a bond of friendship you four have formed over the years, I expect no less."

"Well, I guess when I heard Snape trying to use Regulus for his own gain something in me just… snapped. I told him that Remus sneaks out and goes into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow. I thought the fact that we were banned to go near it would stop him. I never dreamed he would actually try it, especially not on a full moon." Sirius says finishing his story in a pleading tone.

"Hmm, and after you told him this information what did you do?"

"I went back to Gryffindor Tower. James, Peter and I were up in our dormitory, we like to stay out of the lime light on full moon nights. That way people won't notice Remus' absence so much." He explains hastily before continuing.

"I was telling them about my conversation with Snape and what I told him. While I was trying to reassure James that Snape would never try and find the tunnel, we saw him crossing the grounds from our window. James took off immediately to stop him. A minute or so after he left the damage I had done seemed to sink and I ran off to find you, Professor." He finishes hanging his head in shame.

Almost everything Sirius had just said is the truth. The only part he wasn't completely honest about is what they could never tell anyone, not even Dumbledore. James is extremely grateful that Sirius had come to his senses and sought out Dumbledore. If he had not made it in time, he is sure Dumbledore could have stopped Snape before it was too late.

"Thank you Mr. Black. Mr. Potter, I would now like to hear what happened after you left your dormitory." Dumbledore says giving James one of his piercing stares. James feels, as he has many times before, that those blue eyes are seeing right into his very soul.

"I ran through the castle as fast as I could and I didn't stop until I got to the willow. My only thought was what would happen if I were too late. By the time I got through the tunnel, Snape had already reached the Shack. Before I could drag him back through the passage he saw Remus in wolf form through a hole in the ceiling. He must have been in some sort of shock or something because he wasn't moving, so I pulled him back through the tunnel. That's, uh… it, Sir." James finishes lamely.

"Well, I must say, though the endeavor was reckless and very dangerous, it was also extremely brave of you." _I don't feel brave._ James thinks. _I feel sick. _ "You managed to save two lives here tonight, James. Mr. Snape's and, I don't think you will disagree, that in taking the life of another human, whether in wolf form or not, would forever of damaged Mr. Lupin's." James nods at this. He had thought the very same thing.

"Mr. Black, I am extremely glad you came to me tonight. It shows that you are remorseful of your actions and that you wanted to correct them. Even so, you did bait Mr. Snape into an extremely dangerous and potentially harmful situation. For that, I must give you severe punishment." Sirius looked up scared. James too felt fearful. _Is Dumbledore going to expel us?_

"You will need to serve a detention once a week until the end of term and I am going to revoke our privileges to enter the village of Hogsmeade also. Depending on your behavior your privileges will be reinstated in September. In addition you both will lose fifty points from Gryffindor for being out of bed after curfew. I must urge to you Sirius, how very harmful your actions could have been tonight. I trust that you will not use your friend's condition as a source of revenge again." He says raising his eyebrows at Sirius.

"No, Sir. Of course I won't. I am so, so sorry for my actions, I wish more than anything I could take them back." He says the sincerity in his voice unmistakable.

"Very well, you may leave Sirius. I wish to speak to James a moment longer." Sirius nods and leaves without another word.

"James, I'm afraid I will also have to issue you a detention. You were out of bounds tonight, out on the grounds and in the Whomping Willow."

"I understand, Sir." James says, knowing he deserves a much greater punishment.

"But, I am also going to award Gryffindor fifty points for your bravery. However reckless it was." Dumbledore smiles at him eyes twinkling over the half-moon spectacles. James smiles back half-hearted.

"Your actions tonight showed how truly you fit into Gryffindor house. I must say I am quite proud. I must remind you that taking such matters into your own hands is not advised, but you handled it well. You should be proud of yourself. Not many people would go running into certain danger to save someone they, well… don't quite like."

James looks up to meet his Headmaster's eyes. "I didn't think Professor. I just knew that Remus wouldn't be himself, that he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Snape wouldn't have stood a chance." Dumbledore nods.

"Perfectly true and that you did this on instinct makes it all the more admirable.

James frowns slightly. He doesn't feel like being admired. He knows Dumbledore is paying him a compliment, but he feels like he's also patronizing him. Telling him he had done the right thing while also telling him he acted reckless.

"Sir, what will happen? With Snape I mean. What's stopping him from telling everyone about Remus' condition?"

"I think I will be able to help with that Mr. Potter. Don't worry;Mr. Lupin's affliction will be kept a secret."

"So he can stay then? He won't have to leave?"

"No, he will not have to leave."

James felt a giant weight leave his stomach."Good. Thank you, Sir."

"You are welcome, James. You may go now." James nods and leaves the Headmaster's office.

James lies in bed hours later knowing sleep won't come, but just wishing for the images of what would have happened if he were too late tonight to leave his mind. Peter's bed is empty and James hopes he has gone to keep Remus from scratching and biting himself. Peter is the only Marauder that was not involved in the tonight's events and can keep Remus company at the very least.

* * *

"Wake Up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" An annoying high pitched voice shouts.

Lily rolls over in her bed and groans. Checking the time she sees it's just barely seven. She still has a half-hour left to sleep.

"Who is yelling?" Mary asks groggily from Lily's right.

"Get up! You absolutely have to hear this! When I heard, I knew I had to tell you three first!" Lily recognizes Caitlin's voice and sighs. She's one of the biggest gossips in the school. She sits up and pulls back her hangings. Mary and Beth do the same.

"What is it, Cait?" Beth asks stifling a yawn.

"My friend Bertha, you know Bertha right? She's a seventh year in Hufflepuff, her brother Albert is in our year." Caitlin begins and they all nod for her to continue. "Well, she was up in the Hospital Wing this morning cause Al is up there, ya know because he –"

"Get on with it!" Mary interrupts with irritation. Mary has never been the most tolerant person in the world and waking her up at seven in the morning definitely doesn't improve her patience.

"Right, well anyway, she was up there and heard Pettigrew talking to Remus. He was telling Remus all about how James saved Snape's life last night." She gushes looking at them as if this were the most exciting news she'd ever heard.

Lily scoffs at this but Mary and Beth give gasps of surprise. They buy into most of the rumors that Caitlin spouts off. Lily however is a little more skeptical of her information.

"It's true! Pettigrew said that James pulled Snape out of the Whomping Willow and that he saved him from what's down there. Apparently it was a really close call."

"Oh my!" Beth exclaims in surprise.

"Why would Severus be in the Whomping Willow?" Lily asks, ignoring Beth.

"No idea." Cait replies. "It's all part of the mystery. Bertha said that Remus replied with something like, 'Great prank, Paddock', or something. I can't remember what he called Pettigrew but she said he sounded really sarcastic. Maybe Pettigrewor one of the others dared Snape to go down there and didn't think he would actually do it. I hear something really dangerous lives down there, ya know. That's why the Whomping Willow is planted there. So, when Snape did try and go under it, James had to pull him back before he got hurt."

Beth nods drinking in every word but Mary looks skeptical. "I doubt that's the case, more like they told him something completely farfetched was down there and Snape went searching." Mary says.

Lily thinks Mary's version is more likely than what Caitlin is suggesting but it still doesn't seem like something Severus would do. He's far too clever to fall for such ridiculous lies and he mistrusts The Marauders so much that she doubts he'd listen to anything they say. Besides that, there's no way Potter would've ever saved Sev from anything, especially whatever is hidden under the Whomping Willow. The only part of her story Lily believes is that something dangerous lives down there.

"Then Bertha told me that Dumbledore came in and went straight to Remus' bed and told him that if he was feeling well enough he would like to see him in his office. She said Remus followed him out. That's when she came to find me to tell me all the details. She knows that I know The Marauders pretty well, you see." She says wisely. Mary snorts softly.

_If snogging Black senseless in a broom cupboard counts as knowing him and his friends pretty well, then yeah Cait, you know them _very_ well. _Lily thinks cuttingly.

She isn't sure why Caitlin annoys her so much. It's most likely because she is a major gossip and has pretty loose morals. Then there's the fact that she claims to know The Marauders _so well_, like they are old friends or something. When in reality, Lily can't remember ever seeing them talk to her except for that week at the beginning of the year when she thought her and Black were "in love". Lily smirks at the memory of Caitlin following The Marauders around like a lost puppy.

"I have to go. Nat and Dee just HAVE to hear about this." She says and rushes from the room to tell her Hufflepuff best friends the "news".

Lily and the others get ready for the day and head down to breakfast. Mary and Beth are discussing the likelihood of Caitlin's story. Beth thinks it was all true. Mary thinks that basic gist of it is true, but there were some major holes.

Lily keeps quiet as they walk, thinking the whole story is made up. She can't imagine that Sev would ever find himself in a situation where he would need to be saved by James Potter. The only good thing that has come from this early morning excitement is that it has taken Mary's mind off her attack from the previous day.

When they enter the Great Hall Lily receives a little shock. The Marauders are not sitting at their usual place at the table. Every day they sit in the exact same spot. It's like an unspoken rule in Gryffindor to not sit there because it belongs to The Marauders. But today it's empty.

Potter is sitting up near the head of the table with a third year named Jacque something-or-other who is a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Remus sits alone in the middle of the table apparently reading the Daily Profit but his eyes aren't moving. Pettigrew and Black sit on the complete opposite end of the table as Potter and Jacque, neither talking nor eating. Lily can't believe how strange this is. None of them even seem to look in the others direction.

_What in Merlin's name is that about?_

As she eats Lily tries to catch Severus' eye but he isn't looking at her. She wants to ask him if he has heard all these stupid rumors going around about him. When he rises from his table she follows suit. They reach the Entrance Hall at the same time and she steps into his path.

"I can't talk now Lily." He says with an unreadable expression on his face. "I need to get to Potions."

Lily gives him a questioning look."So do I." She reminds him. _How can he forget we take Potions together?We've sat at the same table for the last five years._ "Let's walk and talk." She suggests eyeing him suspiciously.

"I forgot my book." He says evasively and dashes back into the Great Hall before Lily can protest. _How peculiar._She thinks. _Maybe he is just embarrassed by the rumors. He shouldn't be embarrassed, I know they aren't true. _She continues to ponder his actions on the way down to the dungeons for Potions.

The students pile in slowly and Lily begins to set up her and Sev's station.

"Hey Mary, do you mind if I work with you today?" Lily hears Potter ask. She turns her head. Potter is standing next to Beth and Mary's usual table; both girls look confused by his question.

"Uh, sure James, but that will leave Beth without a partner." She says.

"She can work with Sirius, if she doesn't mind." He says looking to Beth for confirmation that she wouldn't mind.

"Sure. No problem." Beth says and gathers her stuff and heads back to the table that Black usually shares with Potter.

Lily catches Mary's eye as Potter digs through his bag. Mary just shrugs at her letting her know that she is just as surprised as anyone. Lily thinks back. She can't remember Potter and Black not sitting together in any class they shared, unless the teacher purposely separated them for being too disruptive._This is all just so strange._

Sev takes his seat next to Lily. She opens her mouth to speak to him but before the words come out Slughorn starts the lesson. Lily has no choice but to pay attention. She will talk to him after class.

But Sev is out of his chair and through the classroom door before the bell signaling the end of the lesson has even finished ringing. This is definitely odd behavior for her best friend. He always stays to help her clean up their station and then walks with her to lunch. _Maybe he is just feeling ill or something,_ Lily thinks hopefully.

-J-3-L-

Lily sits with Mary and Beth in the common room that night finishing their homework.

"It's just so strange." Mary says.

Lily follows her line of vision and sees The Marauders sitting as they usually do, but somehow different. They seemed normal enough, Remus reading a book and Potter has a Quidditch magazine open on his lap. But Pettigrew is missing. In fact Lily hadn't seen him since Charms. But, the truly unsettling thing is that Black appears to be doing homework. His quill moving quickly across a scroll as he double checks the information in his textbook.

"What's strange?" Lily asks her, knowing the answer.

"I asked James about the rumors today in class and he just told me he didn't want to talk about what happened. Then I asked if something happened between him and the others and he said they were fine. Things are clearly not fine."

Beth nods. "All Sirius would say is they asked to switch because they want to focus on O.W.L.'s and if they work together they wouldn't concentrate properly."

Lily snorts at this. "Like they need to concentrate, they get top marks even when they sleep in class." She says bitterly. She's always been slightly jealous at how easily Potter and Black excel in school. She is constantly battling them to be the best in the year. Only Sev can claim to be better than all three of them in Potions.

"I just don't get it." Mary says in a frustrated tone.

"Well, I have patrol." Lily says. "Maybe I can get something out of Remus." She tells them hopefully and walks over to where The Marauders are seated sit.

"Ready to patrol?" She asks standing between Remus' and Potter's chairs.

Normally, Potter would stand up and pretend he thought she was talking to him and make a comment about how they wouldn't be getting much patrolling done. But instead he didn't even look up at her, just continues flipping through his magazine. This is the most disturbing thing to happen so far.

Remus stands without a word to the others and leads Lily out of the common room. When they are out of the Fat Lady's corridor Lily decides to ask him. "So what's with you guys today?"

"What do you mean?" He asks not meeting her eyes.

"Well, Pettigrew's nowhere to be seen for one."

"He's in our dorm, isn't feeling well." He replies in a voice that is almost too calm.

"Ok, what about Black. He's doing _homework_." She says stressing on the word to urge to him how strange it is.

"Sirius always does his homework." He says fairly.

"Yes, but in the common room, where others can see him?" Remus just shrugs. "And Potter, he is acting the strangest."

"I don't think he is." He says coolly. Lily isn't deterred from his less than friendly replies.

"Oh come on Remus. He didn't even ask me out or make a crude remark to me or anything. Even you can't deny that that's odd behavior for Potter." Remus stops abruptly and Lily turns to look at him.

"Look Lily, I am not in the mood to be interrogated right now, ok?" Lily opens her mouth to respond but he continues as if the words are pouring from his mouth against his will. "Last night was awful. Someone could have died. All our lives could have been ruined. Prongs may never speak to Padfoot ever again. I'm not sure_ I_ even want to talk to Padfoot again and Wormtail still won't talk to either of them. I just can't deal with it!" He nearly shouts.

"It's all my fault." He adds in a smaller voice. Before Lily can even blink he turns on his heel and storms back towards the Fat Lady.

Lily stands there flabbergasted by his outburst. She hadn't meant to upset him. She knows she had been a tad nosy, but she never thought Remus would blow up like that. She just wants to know the truth, that way she can find out what's wrong with Sev.

She continued on with their patrol, her mind reeling._What had he meant, it's all his fault? What's his fault? Who almost died?_Caitlin's story from this morning seems to sink in. Sev had almost died. Potter had pulled him from the Whomping Willow before whatever's down there could get to him.

_But how is that all Remus' fault? Did he push Sev into the Whomping Willow? And what are those names he was using. Are they strange nicknames for The Marauders or something? If so, who is who? Is Potter Padfoot and Pettigrew Prongs? That means neither Remus nor Pettigrew are talking to Potter._This makes sense she hadn't seen either of them say so much as a word to Potter all day.

_That would make Black Wormtail. Why wasn't he talking to any of them? Are they all upset with Potter for saving Sev? No, that can't be it. None of them would be upset if Potter saved someone. No matter how much they dislike Sev, they wouldn't want him dead._Lily just can't seem to understand any of it. A million different scenarios run through her mind.

She climbs into bed coming to the conclusion that she only knows one thing for certain. Last night, for some unknown reason, Severus had gone into the supposed tunnel under the Whomping Willow and Potter had pulled him out. It's the only piece of the puzzle that is constant in every story she's heard. She still has tons of questions left unanswered but she is determined to find out.

The only time Lily sees Severus the next day he is surrounded by his gang of Slytherin friends. As most of them insult her every time they see her, she decides not to approach him. _I will talk to him this weekend, he can't avoid me on a Hogsmeade day_, she thinks.

-J-3-L-

After breakfast on the morning of the Hogsmeade trip Lily sits on the steps of themarble staircase waiting for Severus to join her.

She is running through all the questions she has for Severus in her mind when Potter walks out of the Great Hall. Lily rolls her eyes, surely now is when he'll ask her on a date. Lily was waiting for him to approach her when Beth joins him. She smiles at him and says something Lily can't hear. He gives her one of his annoying grins and she laughs.

Lily looks at her friend confused. _ I always thought Beth liked Remus. Why would she go into Hogsmeade with one of his best mates? Is this why no one would talk to Potter? Are they mad at him for stealing Remus' girl?_

Beth notices Lily then and walks towards her. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." She calls to Potter. He nods and walks out onto the grounds.

"Why are you going into Hogsmeade with Potter?" Lily asks the second her friend is close enough to hear.

"What? I'm not. James scheduled a training session for this morning. He wants to get in an extra practice before the holiday." She explains and Lily sighs in relief. She is glad that her friend hadn't fallen prey to Potter's charms. But that means she is back to square one when it comes to figuring out the mystery going on between The Marauders and Sev.

"Who are you waiting for?" Beth asks her.

"Sev, of course. We are going to stay here and study together while everyone is in Hogsmeade."

Beth's expression turns sour. "Oh, I'll see you later then." She says and heads out onto the grounds to catch up with Potter.

Lily watches as the other students pile happily out onto the grounds excited for another day in the village. Mary waves to her as she exits with a handsome Gryffindor seventh year. Severus and his gang of Slytherins follow closely behind and Lily just stays where she is waiting for them to disband. She sees Mulciber point at Mary and the others erupt in laughter. Lily frowns and wonders what they are saying about her friend.

Caitlin emerges from the Great Hall then and approaches the still laughing Slytherins. Lily wants to shout out to her not to go near them but her mouth nearly falls open in shock when she sees Caitlin wrap her arms around Mulciber's neck and pull him down for a kiss. _What is she doing dating him. Doesn't she know how repulsive he is? Doesn't she see how he treats me, Mary and all the other Muggle-borns in the school?_

This is a prime example as to why Lily and Caitlin will never be able to get on well. When Mulciber leads the group out onto the grounds with Caitlin on his arm, Lily stands and waits for Sev to come up to her. He continues looking out onto the grounds for a moment, as if to be sure they were gone before he approaches.

"Morning Lily, what would you like to do today?" He asks in a cheery voice as if he hasn't been ignoring her for the last few days.

Lily had planned on asking him all about the incident with Potter and what it all meant, but the laughing faces of Severus other friends has driven all her questions from her mind. All she can think about is making sure Sev sees how awful those people are.

"Let's go for a walk in the courtyard." She suggests thinking how they won't be overheard there. Severus smiles excitedly at this and his eyes brighten as if he can't believe it. If Lily wasn't so distracted by her own thoughts she'd have remembered that the courtyard is usually a place where couples sneak off to, to snog. The large pillars act as an excellent shield from prying eyes.

"So, what was so funny?" Lily asks him as they walk. "With Mulciber and the others, you were laughing your head off." She clarifies after he gives her a questioning look.

"Oh, that was nothing. Mulciber was telling us a funny story."

"I like funny stories." Lily presses.

"You wouldn't understand this one."

"Why? Because I'm Muggle-born?" She demands heatedly.

*****"What? Lily no! Why are you acting like this?" He asks in a pleading tone. "I thought we were supposed to be friends. Best friends?"

"We _are,_ Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging round with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber. _Mulciber!_ What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?" She asks as she leans up against one of the pillars and looks into his sallow face. _Of course he does_. _That's what they were all just laughing about._

"That was nothing. It was a laugh, that's all –" He says dismissively.

"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny –"

"What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" He demands cutting her off.

"What's Potter got to do with anything?" Lily asks.

"They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?" He says as if trying to tell her something.

"He's ill. They say he's ill –"

"Every month at the full moon?" Sev says skeptically.

"I know your theory." Lily responds coldly. He'd told a while back that he thinks Lupin is a werewolf. Lily thinks that he's just being paranoid. "Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?"

"I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are." He says gazing intently into her eyes making Lily blush.

"They don't use Dark Magic, though." She says fairly and then lowering her voice she adds, "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there –"

Severus' face seemed to contort with anger and sputters in response. "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too. You're not going to – I won't let you –"

"_Let_ me? _Let_ me?" Lily repeats her eyes turning to slits.

"I didn't mean – I just don't want to see you made a fool of – He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" He says as if the words were torn from him against his will. "And he's not… everyone thinks… big Quidditch hero –" He says his own dislike and bitterness rendering him incoherent.

"I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag." Lily says with raised eyebrows. "I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulciber's and Avery's idea of humor is just evil. _Evil,_ Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them." She says.*** **

Severus has a smile on his face and gestures for Lily to continue on walking with him. He doesn't seem too bothered by her remonstrations of Mulciber and Avery. He is back to being the boy she'd met nearly seven years before. She put all thoughts of his friends and what had transpired between him and The Marauders behind her as their talk turns to the upcoming exams. She's got her friend back now. She need not worry anymore.

* * *

James says goodbye to his teammates after a long grueling practice and makes his way to the dungeons to serve his detention with Slughorn. Sirius has his detention up in the Hospital Wing with Pomfrey. James doesn't mind so much that he is on his own this time. He even left his two-way mirror, which serves as his usual way of keeping touch with his friend when they are in separate detentions, in his trunk.

Upon entering the dungeon he immediately regrets this action. Sitting down near the front of the room is Snape. James groans. _Why didn't I realize that Dumbledore would give Snivellus a detention too? _He wonders.

They have been sitting cleaning cauldrons for hours when Slughorn excuses himself to use the restroom and Snivelly breaks the silence.

"You know she'll never go out with you, don't you Potter?" He asks in a mock concerned way. "You know she hates you?"

James' fist clenches down on the rag he is using. "What are you on about Snivelly?" He asks in an off-hand voice knowing perfectly well what Snape is talking about.

Snape is Lily Evans' best friend as far as James knows. To him the pair never made sense. Why would someone like Lily ever spend time with a greasy git like Snivelly? Doesn't she know how much better than him she is? James can't understand women at all.

"Lily. She despises you. She's told me so. She thinks you aren't worth the time of day." He jeers knowing this will get a reaction out of James.

James wants more than anything to whip out his want and hex the evil grin off Snape's face. But he won't give him the satisfaction, even though the words hurt a lot.

"Keep talking, Snivellus. You may be able to afford another night down here but I have more important things to do." He throws back.

Snape just smirks at him as Slughorn reenters the room and takes his seat at the front. James doesn't look at Snivelly for the rest of the detention and when they are dismissed he hurries off to get his broom anxious to get down to the Quidditch Pitch and forget Snape's, probably very true, words.

* * *

**A/N – Poor James. But really, what sixteen year old boy truly understands a sixteen year old girl?**

*******Excerpt (modified by me to be from Lily's POV not Snape's) from **_**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows**_** by J.K. Rowling  
*****Chapter 33 Pages 673-674 (American Version)**

**And, because I really hate ending the night on a sad note, Chapter 6 will be following shortly :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – Hope you like it **

_Thoughts will be in italics._

**Anything that you recognize is indeed from the beautiful mind of J.K. Rowling, but check the end of the chapter to see where to find the ones I used and tweaked slightly.**

* * *

The Easter holiday passes quite peacefully for James.

It's nice for him to be away from the castle and all the things that are stressing him out. O.W.L.'s are only a few weeks away now and James knows he needs to score high to continue on his path to become an Auror. He is confident that he will do well, but still, he'll feel better when they are all over. The Quidditch Final will be held in two weeks. Gryffindor has won the cup every year since James joined in his second year. How would it be if they break that streak during his first year as captain?

He had been so worried that McGonagall was going to strip him of the badge during the last week of term. After the events that are causing him the most stress of all. James had been lucky and received the least harsh punishment of anyone involved, besides Remus.

His parents had been angry at him at first. The letter Dumbledore had sent home told them that James had acted recklessly and that he was being punished for throwing himself into a dangerous situation. But, it went on to say that as James had done so as to save a fellow student and that Dumbledore feels it shows extreme moral fiber and cannot go unrewarded. He told them that James both won and lost fifty points for his house and would receive one detention. His parents spent about a day being angry and the rest of the holiday being ecstatic that their son is a true Gryffindor. It was mental.

Then on top of all that, he still can't figure out how to get Lily Evans to go out with him. He's asked her out just about every way he knows how. He tried singing to her, he tried putting on a skit with the others for her, tried writing her poetry, or more accurately stealing the poetry from a third year and reading it as if it were his own. He tried to give her flowers, tried her favorite candy, and tried all sorts of lavish gifts. He even tried to just ask her our right, with a simple, will you go out with me? Nothing worked.

He wonders vaguely how many times he has asked her out and then frowns. Sirius and Peter secretly keep track. Usually he would just ask Sirius, but he is still very angry with his friend.

This was actually the longest James has ever gone without seeing or speaking with him. It was making him feel lousy, but he didn't know how to express his feelings in a way that would make his friend understand that he could not be his friend if he continues to do stupid shit like that.

-L-3-J-

James opens the door to their usual compartment on the Hogwarts Express and sees Sirius already lounging across one of the benches. He sits up immediately as James walks in and stores his trunk in the luggage rack.

"Listen mate. I know what I did was stupid, alright? I really didn't think he'd actually try it out. I mean it's Snivelly. I just… never meant for it to happen like that." He says giving James a pleading look. James looks at his friend. He isn't sure if is ready to forgive and forget yet.

"I know mate. It's just that – It was the worst possible thing to gamble with. Think what could have happened. Think about Moony."

Sirius nods. "I do, James. It's all I've been thinking about."

The compartment door slides open then and Peter appears. They stop their deep conversation and start-up a much lighter and friendlier one, so as to include Peter.

"How are your detentions coming along Padfoot?" Peter asks.

"They're alright… really boring. Pomfrey's got me cleaning potion bottles and reorganizing the potion cupboard without magic." He explains. James smiles at this.

Madam Pomfrey is always reorganizing that room. James had spent a week's worth of detentions last year organizing them by color only to have her change her mind and want them by name and then she changed her mind again and wanted them organized by frequency of use. It had been vexing to say the least.

Around lunchtime Remus shows up and James glances at Sirius. He will most likely wish to apologize to Remus as he had James, but this apology would need to far more in depth and emotional.

"Hey Wormy, why don't we go find that Hufflepuff you've had a crush on all year." James suggests and Peter looks up squeaking with excitement. James leads Peter up the train leaving Remus and Sirius to sort out their issues.

"Where do you think she'll be?" Peter asks nervously.

Peter has never had a girlfriend before and has only been on a few dates that Sirius had set him up on by telling his dates that they had to find a date for Peter before he would go out with them. Peter is far too shy for his own good when I comes to birds, and in James' opinion always tries for girls who are out of his league.

"There she is Wormtail. Let's go say hi." James says pointing to a compartment full of Hufflepuff girls. Peter swallows hard and follows James over. James slides the compartment door open and smiles.

"Afternoon ladies." James says and all the girls turn and smile at him.

"Hi James!" They chorus back.

"Vic, can we have a private word?" He says to the dark haired girl closest to the door.

"Sure, James." She says and the girls watch them walk a few steps away with looks of bitter disappointment on their face. "What can I do for you?" She asks in a husky voice.

"You know my friend Peter, right?" He says gesturing to Peter standing next to him. She nods and he continues. "Well, I think you two would make a brilliant couple. You should get to know him." He says and slaps Peter on the back as walks away with a smile at his match-making.

"That was rather mean of you."

James smirks. He knows that voice very well. His hand jumps to his hair and he runs his fingers through it nervously.

"Really, Evans? Why is that now?" He asks turning to her.

"Because, you know that she fancies you. But, you give your friend hope that he has a chance with her. And, you also led her on walking up and talking to her like that." She replies crossing her arms over her chest.

James didn't expect her to get so angry. He quite likes an angry Lily. "Like what?"

"Like you are about to sweep her off her feet." He grins at this. "You are just mean!" She insists.

"Or, am I a good bloke who has just set his mate up with a girl he's had a crush on for ages. A girl, mind you, that knows she doesn't have a chance with me." He counters.

"How would she know that, Potter? Half the girls at Hogwarts fancy you and they all think they have a chance." She accuses.

"Really?You think it's only half?" He asks in a mock concerned way.

She rolls her eyes and turns to walk away from him. James quickly jumps in front of her blocking her path.

"You are so arrogant!"

"Arrogance should not be confused with confidence." He says wisely. "And, you wanted to know how she knows she doesn't have a chance with me? It's because I told her so. I've known that Pete likes her for ages, so I told her that I'd introduce them. I think it turned out pretty well." He says pointing over to where Peter and Vickie were now snogging in her compartment.

Lily turns to look at the pair and her face blushes crimson. "Now, how the other girls in Hogwarts will find out, that's up to you." He states and she looks up at him with a confused expression. He props his elbow against the wall and leans down to whisper in her ear.

"I think they'd all know they don't stand a chance once you just agree to go out with me."

Lily pushes him back lightly and glances to his right. James follows her line of sight and sees Snivelly staring at them from his compartment.

"No, I don't want to go out with you Potter." She says in a small voice and moves past him to join Snivellus.

Snivelly gives James a cocky taunting smile and pulls the door shut behind Lily and then pulls down the curtain. _Filthy little git._ James thinks. He glances back and sees Peter still occupied so he continues back to The Marauder Compartment alone.

-L-3-J-

James paces back and forth in front of his bed the morning of the Quidditch Cup.

"Pull yourself together, Prongs, or you'll lose all your energy before the match even starts." Remus warns.

James stops pacing. He has to calm down. He can't let the Slytherins see him so nervous.

At breakfast he sits with the team as he does the morning of every match. When they get up to leave the hall, Lily approaches Beth.

"Good luck Beth. I know you'll be brilliant." She says hugging her friend. "And good luck to you too, I guess, Potter." She adds.

James smiles, no way can they lose now. Not after Lily herself has wished him good luck.

Once they're all changed into their Quidditch robes, James comes out from the captain's office and addresses his team.

"We, as a team, have won this cup three years in a row. I intend to win it for the fourth here today." He pauses so they can give their cheers of assent. "Slytherin has a good offense. We have a better one. Slytherin has a decent defense. Ours is far more superb. Don't let them scare have all proved your worth to the team. Each one of you can fly about ten times better than any of those blundering buffoons who call themselves a Quidditch team. Let's get out there and make them regret ever thinking they could play this great game!" He roars over their cheers and leads them out onto the field as Natalie Edgecombe, the Quidditch announcer, shouts out their names.

James loses himself in the match and when he comes back to reality it's to a three-hundred and fifty to one-hundred and sixty victory for the cup. James and Beth are hoisted onto the shoulders of their admirers and carried up to the castle, holding the cup between them. James had scored thirteen goals and Beth had made a spectacular diving catch.

The party in Gryffindor common room continues to go strong at nearly one in the morning. James finds himself at the drinks table getting another butterbeer when he senses her come up next to him.

"Hello, Potter." Lily says and he turns to look at her. He suspects she has waited until he was alone to talk to him. This is extremely odd behavior for Lily. She's never spoken to him first unless it was to tell him off.

A wave of excitement floods through him as he responds. "Hello, Evans."

"I am going to say this, even though I know it risks inflating your already over large head, but you flew really well today, and I'm glad you won. The team that is." She clarifies quickly. James smiles widely at her.

This is the first time she has ever given him an actual compliment. Granted, it was in the same breath as an insult, but still. He gives her his most winning smile and opens his mouth to reply but a group of girl's rushes up to him just then.

"Can I have your autograph, James?" One asks excitedly.

"Tell us about your last goal again!" Another shouts.

"Take your shirt off!" Yet another screams.

James looks back at Lily and sees her roll her eyes at the girls and walks back over to where Mary sits chatting up her seventh year boyfriend. His chance was gone. He sighs and pushes through the gaggle of girls back to where Sirius and Remus sit playing a game of chess.

* * *

Lily sits with Mary and Beth in the common room studying late into the night. O.W.L.'s start the following week and they were all on edge. The Marauders sit a table away, uncharacteristically quiet. Even a few seventh years sit around the common room noses in books cramming for their N.E.W.T.'s that start the week after O.W.L.'s finish.

Lily hears Black slam his book shut and looks round irritated. "Keep it down will you." She shouts over to him.

"Sorry, Evans." He calls back and turns to whisper to the others.

Lily turns back to her work and reminds herself of her schedule.

Monday is Charms, Tuesday is Study of Ancient Runes, Wednesday is Herbology, Thursday brings Defense Against the Dark Arts and finally on Friday they have Transfiguration. Then she has a whole weekend to study for Monday's Potions exam. Lily was free to study again on Tuesday while all the other Gryffindor's in her year sat their Care of Magical Creatures exam. Wednesday brings Arithmancy in the morning and Astronomy in the evening. Then all that was left to worry about is History of Magic on Thursday and she is free.

The Study of Ancient Runes is the only class Lily signed up for that her friends had not. Both Mary and Sev had signed up for Arithmancy with her but decided to take Care of Magical Creatures instead of Runes. Beth took Care of Magical Creatures with Mary but Divination instead of Arithmancy. She had said, at the time, she wanted to have at least one fun class. Lily knows she regrets this decision now. From the horror stories she hears about the awful subject, Lily can understand why.

Potter, in fact, is the only other Gryffindor in their year to take Runes. She has always wondered why he decided to take such a difficult class when he could have, like Beth had, taken an easy one. It was much more Potter-ish to do so.

Lily had posed this query to Mary one day in fourth year after being forced to work with Potter in class and her friend had told her, 'Well, James has always been interested in Runes. His family went on Holiday to see some once. It's all he talked about for months. His dad has a great fondness for them as well.'

Lily had been shocked that Potter actually cared about anything besides Quidditch and being the center of attention. But he does seem to actually pay attention in Runes. This could also be chalked up to the fact that none of his friends take this class with him, so he has no distractions.

Pettigrew took Divination with Beth and Caitlin. Remus took Arithmancy with Lily and Mary but Black had taken Muggle Studies. Everyone had been shocked by this decision. Not only did each of The Marauders take one class without one another but Black had signed up for Muggle Studies. Lily thought at the time that he saw it as an easy lesson, but she still sees him from time to time using Muggle items that the professor gives out, studying them with interest.

Lily had decided not to take Care of Magical Creatures. It would have been an interesting lesson, but she has never cared much for exciting animals. She is much happier with the simple, cat, dog or owl. Start throwing in hippogriffs and fire crabs and she is out of there.

Lily glances over at The Marauders table and sees them getting up and heading for the boys staircase. She wishes she could go to bed too, she is exhausted. Lily hands her notes over to Mary and takes the pile that Beth has just set aside. She is pretty confident about the Charms exam, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Lily hears the portrait door shut quietly and looks round. No one was there. _That's strange. _Lily thinks and looks across the table to ask Beth and Mary what they thought but Mary had her hands over her ears concentrating hard and Beth looks as if she fell asleep on top her textbook. She glances around at the seventh years. But they were gone. _They must have all gone up to bed, or maybe they snuck out._ She thinks but then shakes her head. No one would sneak out this close to exams, she must be hearing things.

About a half hour later, when Lily feels as if she can't hold her eye lids open any longer, she hears the portrait hole shut again. This time The Marauders stand there holding trays of pastries and mugs of steaming coffee and cocoa. Lily opens her eyes wide as they set the trays down on the table next to where the three girls sit.

"Fancy some sustenance, Evans?" Potter asks with a smirk. Lily looks up at him and gives him a skeptical look.

"What's the catch?" She asks her stomach rumbling. She hadn't realized she was hungry until she had food within her reach.

"No catch." He assures her. "We just figure you ladies need a break as much as we do."

Mary stands immediately and is already grabbing a cup of coffee. "You figured right." She says selecting herself a cream puff.

Remus nudges Beth lightly and she looks round confused. "Did I nod off?" She asks.

"Only for a moment." Lily assures her. "I was going to wake you in a few seconds but –" She breaks off at Beth's look of excitement as she sees the tray of pastries.

"Are you guys legilimens or what? I was just dreaming about this cake!" She said placing a piece of the chocolate cake on a plate.

Laughing The Marauders grab plates of food and sit around the table, Black pulling up a chair to sit in-between Mary and Beth. Lily sips on a cup of coffee as they begin telling the girls how they'd almost got caught bringing back the trays. Lily finds herself enjoying their company. It gives her mind a break and this is really the only way she likes The Marauders, laughing at themselves rather than at someone else's expense.

"Ugh, I really don't want to study anymore." Mary complains.

"Me either." Pettigrew agrees.

"What were you working on?" Lily asks.

"I was doing Charms with Peter." Remus says.

"I was going over my Muggle Studies stuff." Black says.

"Muggle Studies?" Mary asks him confused. "That's not until next week, why are you worrying about that now?"

He smirks at her. "It's the only one I really need to study. I know all that other rubbish."

Mary laughs. "Well, I can help you out if you want. What are you having trouble with?" Black leads her back to the table The Marauders had been occupying and they begin to work. Lily knows that, having grown up in a Muggle orphanage, Mary knows most of the information he's having trouble understanding.

Lily looks down at her Charms notes and sighs. "Why are you going over Charms?" Potter asks her sitting on her left.

"It's the first exam." She says. _Isn't it obvious?_ She adds in her head.

"Yeah, but you are top in Charms. You know that textbook back to front."

"And your point?" She snaps. She's not sure why she is so angry, Potter just gets under her skin. Why can't he leave her alone?

"Just saying, maybe if you studied Runes with me then you'd actually learn something." He says raising his eyebrows suggestively. Lily rolls her eyes at him.

"I'd rather study with an ogre then with you, Potter." She stands collecting her belongings and calls goodnight to Mary and Beth.

-J-3-L-

Lily is feeling pretty confident as she sits in the Great Hall having just completed her Defense Against the Dark Arts written exam. All her exams so far had gone extremely well.

Professor Flitwick calls for them to put their quills down and Lily sighs. _Four down, five to go, _she thinks. She stands and stretches as Flitwick waves his wand to collect the scrolls and then falls to the ground as they collide with him. She lets out a low chuckle. Her favorite professor can be quite the klutz.

Lily joins Mary and Beth in the Entrance Hall and they walk onto the grounds with two Ravenclaw girls named Annie and Primrose. Laughing they make their way down to the lake and sit along the edge, enjoying the sunshine and slight reprieve from studying.

"I swear if he would have leant back just a smidge more I could have touched his gorgeous hair!" Annie was saying.

Lily looks over at Mary and laughs at her friend's indignant look. Annie was talking about Sirius, and Mary, though she'll never admit it to anyone, fancies Sirius.

"What about you and Albert, Prim. Are you two going out again?" Beth asks.

Lily likes having this girl time with their Ravenclaw friends. She hardly ever sees them. She misses all the gossip and boy talk.

"Yes, but probably not until after exams. We both have so much going on." Prim explains.

Beth begins to ask what they are going to do on their next date when Lily hears laughter coming from a nearby beech tree. She looks over and sees Potter and Black standing, wands raised and pointing at Severus. Lily jumps up instinctively and makes her way over to them. She sees pink soap bubble pour from her best friend's mouth and she walks quicker.

***1**"Leave him ALONE!" She yells at Potter and Black. They turn to face her.

Potter's hand flies up to his hair. "All right, Evans?" He says

"Leave him alone." Lily repeats now standing right in front of them, Sev on the ground behind them still choking out bubbles. "What's he done to you?" She asks them with her dislike for these two boys apparent in her voice.

Potter seems to deliberate this for a moment. "Well, it's more the fact that he _exists_, if you know what I mean..." Most of the crowd surrounding them laughs though Lily notices that Remus, still sitting by the tree nose in a book, does not. Lily knows Sev is unpopular but to see all these people standing around just to watch him be humiliated is atrocious. Potter and Black are atrocious.

"You think you're funny," she says coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_." She commands again.

"I will if you go out with me, Evans." James says quickly. "Go on… Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

Lily looks at him in outrage. _Is he really asking me out on a date while he tortures my best friend in front a crowd of people?_ She thinks furiously. He is.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid." She says barely containing her anger.

"Bad luck, Prongs." Black says turning back to Severus but he had crawled over to his wand by now. "OY!" Black shouts but it's too late.

As Potter turns around Sev shoots a jet of light at him and a gash appears on Potters cheek. His robes splatter with blood. Lily looks over at him concerned. _What spell did Sev use? _She thinks frantically. _What hex makes a deep gash like that? _ But before she could get too concerned with it, Potter hoists Severus up by his ankle. His robes fall down over his face revealing a pair of graying shorts underneath.

People cheer around them and Lily nearly smiles through her fury. _He probably at least deserved that, _she thinks fairly. _Considering the blood flowing down Potter's face, he got off easy._

"Let him down." She says in a slightly calmer tone.

"Certainly." Potter replies and lets Sev fall to the ground in a heap.

Sev jumps to his feet, wand up, but almost immediately Black says "_Locomotor mortis_!" And Sev lay rigid as a board on the ground.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily screams at them, her anger flaring again, whipping out her wand.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you." Potter says earnestly

"Take the curse of him, then!"

Potter sighs deeply and mutters the counter-curse. "There you go. You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –" Potter sneers at Sev.

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Sev says heatedly. Lily falters for a second. _Did I just hear what I think I heard? Did Sev, my best friend in the world, just say those words?_

"Fine." She says. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_." She says cuttingly.

"Apologize to Evans!" Potter roars pointing his wand back at Severus.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologize. You're just as bad as he is…" She yells at Potter.

"What?" He yelps. "I'd NEVER call you a – you-know-what!" He says.

She knows he isn't the one she is truly angry with. Knows that what he was saying and doing is not even close to as awful as what Severus had just said but it felt good to be yelling at Potter again. It felt right for him to be the enemy. Not Sev.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK." She says and turns on her heel and hurries off before the tears can form in her eyes.***1**

She hears Potter calling after her but she doesn't turn back. He needed to hear the things she had said to him, even if she only said them to mask her shock and hurt.

Severus had called her the worst name anyone could call her. She couldn't believe the words had come from his lips. All she was trying to do was help him, and he insulted her and basically dismissed her all in one.

She makes it to her dormitory before the tears really begin to fall. Curling up in her bed she thinks of how wrong she has been about him. Mary has been telling her for months, years really, that he is just as bad as his Slytherin cronies. And Lily never believed her. She never thought he would play into their madness. But he is just like them now and, she has to admit, he probably has been for a while.

"Lily?" Mary's soft voice asks from the other side of Lily's bed hangings.

"Are you ok?" Beth asks in the same low hushed tone.

She knows they can hear her sobs. She can't pretend she isn't there. She pulls back the hanging and smiles weakly at them.

"You can say it." She says looking at Mary sadly.

"Say what?" Mary asks confused.

"I told you so."

Mary shakes her head slowly. "Lily, I would never. You were just trying to see the better side of him. You've known him forever. No one would have expected you to know what he is. He never acted like that around you before today."

"But doesn't that make it worse? I have known him forever, and I never saw his true self. I should have listened to you. You warned me countless times. I just didn't listen." She says her eyes filling with tears again.

"Lily. You couldn't have seen what we saw. He never shows that side of him when you're around. Don't beat yourself up. You did all you could." Beth says reassuringly.

"Really Lily, you did more than most. I know you don't want to hear it, but he didn't deserve all the years of kindness you paid to him. He is the one who is truly losing something here." Mary says.

Her words were slightly harsh but Lily is glad for them. She feels like they are the only thing that actually reaches her in her depressed state. _She's right_. Lily thinks. _I haven't lost my best friend today. I lost him years ago, probably the first day at Hogwarts when we went our separate ways at the sorting._

"Thanks you guys. I think I just want to be alone now, though." She says.

"Alright, we are going to go get dinner. Then we'll be in the common room if you need us." Mary says and Lily nods as they close her hangings and head back out of the dormitory.

She lays there in her bed for what feels like days, completely lost in her own thoughts. Her mind plays back every terrible situation that she has heard about in the last few years. Every story that included that awful group of Slytherins who are rumored to be Death Eaters in training. Severus' name pops up more times than she had ever noticed before. He truly isn't the boy she used to know.

She can see the light slowly fading from the room and she thinks she might actually be able to fall asleep, when Mary enters the dormitory again.

"Lils," Mary says pulling back her hangings cautiously. "Snivellus is outside the portrait hole asking to speak to you." She says with a look of disgust. "He says he won't leave until you come out. Says he'll sleep out there if he has too. Personally, I say let him rot out there, but why torture the Fat Lady." She finishes giving Lily a small smile.

Lily returns the smile grateful that her friend is being so understanding. "Thanks Mary."

Lily gets up out of bed and checks her reflection in her bedside mirror. She doesn't want anyone to know she's been crying. She pulls on her dressing gown before following Mary down to the common room to confront her former best friend.

Lily walks quickly through the common room and to the portrait hole so as to avoid having to look or speak to anyone else. She holds her breath before walking out into the corridor, knowing this will be a very difficult, but necessary, conversation.

She exits the portrait hole and finds Severus sitting opposite it. She lets the portrait swing shut behind her and she crosses her arms over her chest defiantly. He gets to his feet.

***2**"I'm sorry."

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!" He says in a pleading voice.

"Save your breath." She replies coolly. "I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just –"

"Slipped out?" Lily finishes for him, no hint of pity in her voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends – you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?"

Severus opens his mouth and closes it again apparently lost for words.

"I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

"No – listen, I didn't mean –"

"– to call me Mudblood?" She asks. "But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?" She could see him struggling to respond but she has no sympathy for him anymore.

She knows it's for the best and she just wants to get away from him. Giving him a contemptuous look she turns and walks back through the portrait hole. The Fat Lady, who had been eavesdropping, lets her in without question.***2**

* * *

James walks down the corridor on the Hogwarts Express with Remus on their way back to London. They are looking for Sirius who was supposed to be searching for the lunch trolley, but most likely he got side tracked and is snogging some girl in her compartment. Remus stops suddenly and waves into a compartment as the door slides open.

"Hi guys! Fancy joining us?" Mary asks smiling at them.

"We can only stay for a moment. We are trying to find Sirius. Have you seen him?" James asks entering the compartment.

That's when he notices Lily sitting with them. It comes as a shock to him. He has never seen her sit with anyone on the train except Snape. She looks quite a bit happier than he has seen her in days, though. He heard from Mary that Lily told Snape that she no longer wanted to be his friend. James feels horrible for her and the fact that he was involved in the whole incident, but as it is, he seems to have done more good than harm for now she's no longer friends with the grimy git and is much better off.

"Nope haven't seen him all day." Beth replies and smiles at Remus as he takes the seat next to her.

This leaves James with two options. He can either sit next to Lily or hover by the door. Either way he knows it would be extremely awkward. Two weeks ago he would have planted himself next to Lily and spouted off some sort of silly innuendo and asked her out on a date. Now, as he is one of the catalysts that caused the demise of her oldest friendship, he doesn't know how to act around her.

"She doesn't bite you know." Mary says laughing. James shoots her an exasperated look and sits on the bench as far apart from Lily as possible. She glances over at him giving him a curious look.

"Since you are both here, I should tell you the number this year is forty-seven." Mary announces.

"Really, only forty-seven?" Beth says a smile on her face. "I thought it was more."

James looks between the two girls confused and glances at Remus who apparently got the joke for he was trying not to laugh.

"I don't get it. What is the significance of forty-seven?" He asks and looks at Lily for the first time since sitting down. Her face is beet red but she also looks like she was trying not to laugh. _Am I the only one who doesn't get it? _ He thinks to himself. Mary laughs at his confusion and the others join in.

"Forty-seven is the number of times this year that you asked out Miss Evans here." Sirius says standing in the open compartment door. James looks round at him and smiles.

"You keep track?" James asks looking at Lily now. She was trying to hold in her laughter and her face is still red.

"No, Mary does. I just get entertainment from it."

"Has term officially ended yet?" James asks Remus and he shakes his head.

They exchange a significant look and Remus nods knowing what James is about to do. Remus stands and joins Sirius in the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Beth asks confused.

James smirks and gets down onto his knees in front of Lily, pulling her hands into his own.

"My dearest Evans, would you please do me the great and undeniably smashing honor of going on a date with me?"

He knows she'll say no and expects she'll most likely explode in anger. He does not, however, expect her to burst out laughing.

"That one almost sounded sincere, Potter!" She chokes out mid laugh.

James stands a little miffed, he hadn't meant it to be funny, but laughter was better than shouting he supposes.

He bows deeply. "Thought I'd make it an even number, forty-eight is now the number to beat." He grins once more at them and follows his friends down the train back to where Wormtail waits.

* * *

**A/N – That's much better! :) **

***1 Excerpt (modified by me to be from Lily's POV not Snape's) from **_**Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix**_** by J.K. Rowling  
*****Chapter 28 Pages 646-648 (American Version)**

***2 Excerpt (modified by me to be from Lily's POV not Snape's) from **_**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows**_** by J.K. Rowling  
*****Chapter 33 Pages 675-676 (American Version)**

**Let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – Quick shout out to Sparklemonster, JHeap97 and "Guest". Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I am glad you like the story so far and want me to continue. If you didn't I wouldn't still be here! :)****  
****Hope you (along with anyone else who is taking the time to read my version of events) like this new chapter. **

**As always,  
**_Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Letters and Notes will be in bold.**

* * *

Lily sits at her desk in her bedroom at her parent's house. She loves being home, but the Muggle world, despite its charm and all her childhood memories, can be a bit dull after life at Hogwarts. She spends most of her time now in her room finishing all the homework her professors had set for over the summer.

She tries to spend time with Petunia whenever she is around. She is barely at home these days. They haven't got on very well for years now and it seems to have gotten even worse now that Petunia is dating this Dursley bloke. Lily has heard very little about the man, but she is determined to get to know him. He has been invited to dinner tonight and Lily is planning on making a good impression on him. She knows that if he likes her, Petunia will come around too.

There is a knock at her door and Lily calls for whoever it is to enter. Petunia hovers in the door unwilling to enter, as if stepping into Lily's room would contaminate her impeccably clean and pressed dress.

"I just want to make sure the rules for tonight are perfectly clear before Vernon arrives." She says in a slightly condescending way. "First off, I won't stand for any funny business. Nothing at all Lily I mean it. Second, we told Vernon you attend a boarding school in Scotland. He knows nothing of your abnormalities so if he asks you are very happy there, you love your classes and then you change the subject. Finally, if you ruin this for me, I swear Lily, I will never talk to you again." And with that Petunia turns on her heel and heads back down the stairs.

Lily stares after her for a moment. _Well, that wasn't as bad as it could have been, _she thinks. Lily decides to get ready then and go help her mother set the table

The dinner has gone smashingly so far. Petunia had even smiled at Lily twice. They all sit around parlor sipping coffee and eating dessert. Vernon starts telling them how he is going to be made Junior Director at his firm when there is a dull thud against the window. They all look round and see a tawny owl perched on the window sill looking in at them.

Everyone freezes for a moment. The owl begins tapping its beak against the window Lily's father stands and lets it in. It drops a letter on Lily's lap and flies back out the open window. Everyone turns to Vernon to gage his reaction to this sure to be thought odd behavior. He sits staring at the letter in Lily's , after several very long tense seconds, Lily's father clears his throat.

"You were saying Vernon. About the large order of drills you expect to receive this week." He prompts as if to see if they could just gloss over the whole incident as if it hadn't happened.

"Was… Wha… Owl." He splutters. Lily gives Petunia an apologetic look. _What a thing to happen now._

Petunia's eyes fill with tears. "I _HATE_ YOU! YOU RUIN _EVERYTHING_!" She screams.

"Why did you even come back from that freak school? You should have stayed there! You don't belong with us normal people anymore. You're just a burden on us all." She says in a calmer yet equally cutting voice and then she is gone from the room in a huff and the front door slams shut behind her.

Lily's eyes fill with tears as she too storms from the room running up the stairs and slamming the door of her bedroom.

She sits on her bed and curls her knees up to her chest. _Why does Petunia treat me like this every time I come home? Why can't she just accept me for who I am? Why can't she be proud of me like our parents are? Doesn't she realize what I have to put up with at school? Doesn't she understand that I don't need this from my family? That I get all the prejudice that I can handle on a daily basis at Hogwarts? Of course she doesn't. She has no way of knowing, she's never asked._

_Am I really just a burden on my family? Do they really not want a freak like me around? No. My parents love me and want me around. Petunia does too, she is just angry._

Lily sees a letter slide under her door and realizes she's forgotten all about the owl that started this debacle. Picking up the letter Lily notices Mary's neat scroll on the front of the envelope. She smiles as she opens the letter knowing what this must be.

**Lily,**

**My party is this Saturday and you absolutely HAVE to be there. You haven't been to one yet and I know you'd like it. I swear it is going to be fun!**

**It starts at seven. If you don't show I will steal James' broomstick and fly to your house and collect you myself!**

**Love from,**

**Mary**

**P.S. Beth is going to stay the night, I hope you will too.**

Lily laughs a little at her friends note. She needed this. She needed someone to cheer her up and remind her that she isn't a freak, that there are some who crave her company. She turns the note over and jots down a reply.

**Mary,**

**Don't attempt to get on a broomstick. You remember how disastrous that can be! I will definitely be at your party this time don't worry and of course I'll stay.**

**See you Saturday!**

**Love from,**

**Lily**

She ties the reply to her snowy owl, Oscar, and sends him off. Sitting back down at her desk Lily feels better. She can't wait to be surrounded once again by people who don't think her a freak or worse, as she thinks of Snape, a Mudblood.

* * *

James makes his way down to breakfast groggily. He sits down at the table and Tilly, the Potter's house elf, brings him over a plate full of eggs and sausages.

"Thanks Till." He says and stifles a yawn.

His father sits at the head of the table reading The Daily Profit and his mother appears to be pouring over plans for her annual Halloween Party. James rolls his eyes as he tucks into his breakfast. He will never understand his mother's need to obsess over things that won't be happening for months. But, as his father had once told him, it keeps her busy and if she is busy worrying about parties then she isn't busy making them go shopping.

A bell rings loudly throughout the house. James looks up confused knowing that sound means someone had just walked through the front gate.

"Merlin, who would come calling this early?" His mother asks.

James hears Tilly head up the hall to answer the door. The large dining room is in the back of the house so her question is not answered until Tilly reenters the room.

"Mr. Sirius has come to call, shall I let him back masters?" She asks in her high pitch squeak.

"Of course Tilly, send him back." Mr. Potter says immediately.

Tilly bows and goes back up the hall. Sirius appears moments later and Tilly brings him a plate as he takes his usual seat across from James.

"Sirius, dear we didn't expect you until Friday." James' mother coos. She has always been extremely fond of Sirius. They know what type of people Sirius' family are and always felt sorry that Sirius had to grow up in that environment.

"I, uh, just needed to get out. And I couldn't think of anywhere else to go." He says giving her a look of sadness.

"Of course dear, you can always come here. I believe your room is the way you left it. Did you bring your things?" She asks.

"I did. Thank you. I will carry my bags up after breakfast." She nods to him and returns to her stacks of paper.

James gives Sirius a look that says 'you have to explain everything when we are alone.' Knowing Sirius as he does, James can tell that there is much more to the story.

"Charles, do you think it is too late to book the Headless Hunt?" James throws Sirius an exasperated look as his father answers.

"You mean three and half months before we need them? No, I think you should be fine, Martha dear." James snorts into his eggs and Sirius tries to hide his smirk.

"Good." His mother says not catching his sarcasm.

When Sirius finishes eating James follows him to the entrance hall to help him carry his things to his room. Being unable to used underage magic, at least while his parents are around, they lug the large bags up four flights of stairs.

"So what did they do now?" James asks his best mate once they are safely in his room.

"The usual I guess. It started off last week when I got my O.W.L. results. My mum went mental when she saw my O in Muggle Studies. She completely ignored the other six O's and the D in Binns' class and went straight to the Muggle Studies line. She told me I was a disgrace to the name of Black and that she wished she had a son who knew the proper meaning of being so noble. It was mental, but I escaped for a while, then I made the mistake of telling them I was going to Mary's party on Saturday." He explains.

"That started up all the pure-blood mania. They called me a blood traitor and a Mudblood lover. So, I shot back they were just prejudice old fools." James whistled lowly. Sirius' mother definitely wouldn't have taken kindly too that. James had only met her once and he has no desire to do so again.

"Yeah, well that set Regulus off. He told my mother that he would never disappoint her that way. He announced that he plans to be a Death Eater after he gets out of Hogwarts. That he will uphold the Black name and that he knows the worth of pure-blood. He actually said those words James. He is really going to be one of them." James watches as hatred contorts his best friends normally composed face.

"Then of course my mother cooed over him, telling him how brave he is, and how he'll be a hero. I just couldn't take it. My own brother is going to be a Death Eater and there is nothing I can do to stop him. I tried, I tried to talk to him. He told me that he doesn't associate with Mudblood lovers and blood traitors and that I should go live in the dirt, because it's where I belong. I couldn't believe it. He sounded nothing like the old Reg. I had to get out. So I took most of the night to pack my stuff and I left early this morning. I just came here; it was the only place I could think of."

James claps his best friend on the back. "I'm glad you did mate. You are always welcome here."

James leaves Sirius to settle into his room and goes back down to the dining room to talk to his parents. He begins to explain to them what happened with Sirius and tells them how he couldn't stay in that house any longer. His parents agree with him and then they all move to the living room. Sirius joins them after unpacking and looks around at them sitting calmly.

"What's going on?" He asks confusion etched all over his face.

"Sit down, Sirius. We have something we want to talk to you about." Sirius nods and sits.

"We were wondering, darling, if you would like to stay with us from now on." James' mum starts.

"You will spend the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays with us and of course we will assume all responsibly for you while you are at school." James' father continues.

"I… Wha… Are you sure?" Sirius asks his hopeful expression mixed with one of skepticism.

"Yeah mate. You spend the Christmas and Easter holidays and most of the summer here anyway." James says as if it is obvious.

"But, what if I become too much – what if I screw up?" James knows he is thinking of his mistake with Snape from the year before.

"Sirius, we already think of you as a son. We usually reprimand you for your mistakes just as much as we do James. And as you two always seem to get into trouble together anyway it might be easier for Dumbledore to just send one owl instead of two." James' father laughs.

"Sirius, we feel like you deserve to be loved and looked after. If you are ok with it, Charles and I can be that support for you." His mother adds. Sirius' face lights up.

"Of course I would!" He nearly shouts. "You three are more like my family than the people who are my own blood. I would love to live here, to be a part of this family!"

James' parents stand and hug him. James stands too and hugs his best friend who had always been a brother to him.

-L-3-J-

"Ugh, those people are just dreadful. Why they don't make you take a test before you are allowed to procreate is beyond me." James' mother complains.

Sirius and James are helping Tilly set the table for dinner when their parents arrive home.

"Went well then did it?" James asks sarcastically.

They had left that afternoon to go and talk to Sirius' parents. They wanted to let them know he is safe and would be staying with them from now on.

"Sorry boys, I didn't realize you were down here." She says turning to them her face turning red at being overheard speaking ill of Sirius' parents.

"It's ok mum, I know what you mean." Sirius laughs. "Did they give you too much trouble?" He asks concerned.

"No." James' father says calmly.

"Just acted as if they didn't care, pretended as if their eldest son never existed. Ugh!" His mum huffs.

James knows why this is such a sore subject for his mother. She had fought so hard to just have children at all and Sirius' mother gives hers up willingly as if they are nothing more than a piece of property.

"Well, I will be far happier here with my real family." Sirius reassures her tenderly.

She gives him a warm smile. "Of course you will, Sirie darling. I just can't believe how heartless she is."

"I can." He mutters but James is sure he is the only one who heard.

"Hand me that last napkin, _Sirie_." James says putting a heavy emphasis on the new nickname.

"Here you go, _Jamie._" Sirius tosses back handing him the napkin.

Mr. Potter gives them a stern look that clearly told both of them not to mock the nicknames.

* * *

Lily applies her make-up carefully and double checks her appearance in her full length mirror on Saturday.

She decided to wear a cute tank top and jeans. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to wear Muggle clothes or a pair of robes, but as she only has her Hogwarts robes and one pair of dress robes she decides to stick with Muggle attire. If everyone there is wearing robes she will pull Mary aside and ask to borrow a pair of hers.

She opens her bedroom door and she can hear her parents arguing with Petunia in the sitting room. Everyone had been arguing quite a lot since Lily had met Vernon. She and Petunia can't even be in the same room without it resulting in a full-scale shouting match. She really doesn't want to interrupt them but if she doesn't leave soon she will be late. She has no idea how long it takes to get to Mary's house on The Night Bus. She'd never been there before.

Lily holds her breath and steps into the sitting room and it falls silent at once.

"Well, I'm off. I should be home sometime tomorrow." She informs them. Her parents nod.

"Have a good time,sweetie." Her mother says.

"Be careful, Lily Belle. If you need anything all you have to do is ca – uh, send Oscar I mean." Her father says.

"Because you can't just make a call on a telephone like a normal person. Calling is too boring for precious Lily and her posse of freaks!" Petunia sneers. Lily chooses to ignore her and waves goodbye to her parents.

"Don't you need a bag darling?" Her mother asks following her into the hall.

Lily holds up her small purse. "It's got an extension charm on it. I can fit loads of stuff in here." She explains and her mother continues to stare at it as if not quite understanding. "I have everything mum, don't worry." She says kissing her mother on the cheek and heading out the door.

She had told her parents that Mary lived a few streets over, that way they wouldn't worry about her travelling halfway across the country on a bus that possesses the ability to appear and disappear at will. She half laughs at the thought of telling Petunia this. Her face would be horrified beyond belief. It would be extremely comical._Maybe I'll tell her about it when I get home._

As she walks down the sidewalk Lily senses someone behind her. She glances over her shoulder and doesn't see anyone so she continues on walking. She can still feel the presence of eyes on her back. When she reaches the alleyway that is her destination she feels extremely uneasy. The rumor that You-Know-Who is targeting Muggle-borns is growing, and last she heard he made his presence known in London.

If this is a Death Eater following her, she has led him to the perfect place to do any magic away from the prying eyes of her Muggle reaches in her purse holding on tightly to her wand, ready to use it if need be, and turns around. A cloaked figure emerges from behind a shed at the end of the ally and walks slowly toward her.

"Who are you?" She calls. _It has to be a wizard, he is wearing robes. All black robes. Who wears all black robes with a hood in the middle of July, except for a Death Eater, _she thinks quickly.

Her mind racing she thinks of all the possibilities open to her. She can use underage magic and possibly get expelled from Hogwarts (she's already received two warnings) or she can try to hold him off until The Night Bus shows up. The stranger comes to a stop a few meters from her. He pulls down his hood and the greasy hair that shines in the dim light of the setting sun is unmistakable. Lily relaxes almost immediately but still keeps her wand at the ready.

"What do you want, Snape?" She sneers at her former best friend.

He gives her a smirk. "Snape now am I? What happened to Sev?"

"I only call my friends by nicknames not prejudice slime like you." She shoots back cuttingly. It surprises her how true the words are as she speaks them. He is no longer her friend and he has always been prejudice.

"Going to a party?" He asks condescendingly.

"Nice robes." She shoots back. "Already fitted for your uniform then?"

He ignores her comments on his attire. "I thought you hated those stupid things."

"No, I love parties. I just never went because certain people were left out. I still think it was wrong, but I can certainly see why she never invited you now."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, they saw you for who you really are this whole time, when I was too blind to see it."

"Is that what you think of your only true friend?"

"They are my true friends. They stick up for me and detest Dark Magic. They do not worship You-Know-Who." She shoots at him hotly. It still hurts that he does not deny her accusations.

"Very well. If that's how you feel, but it doesn't have to be like this, Lily." Lily laughs humorlessly at him.

"No? What do you suggest then, Snivelly?" She uses the childish nickname that The Marauders have called him for years to impress upon him how different things are now. "You think we continue being secret friends? Only talking to me when your Death Eater mates aren't around? What will you do when we are out of Hogwarts and your _master_", she sneers the word, "is hunting me down just like everyone of my birth. What will you do then?"

Snape swallows hard and shakes his head. "Lily, he will do wonderful things for us."

"HA!" She screams. "He will murder me on the spot Snape and you know it."

"I can see there is no persuading you. You're mind has been poisoned with all of Potter and the other Gryffindor's nonsense. You are choosing the wrong side, Lily."

Lily opens her mouth to tell him he is wrong, that if he would just listen she can convince him he belongs on her side, but The Night Bus appears then. An elderly man steps out and greets her before announcing all the amenities she can purchase. Lily closes her mouth and frowns.

"You're a lost cause." Snape says and turns on the spot pulling his hood back over his head.

Lily gives the conductor the correct amount and gets on the bus to take her to Mary's house and hopefully a very distracting party.

Lily arrives at Mary's house and is greeted by a small house elf who leads her through a beautiful hall out onto a patio where she can see a large tent on the other side of the garden.

"Lily! Hi! Wow, you're early!" Mary calls as she spots Lily walking towards her.

"It's nearly seven-thirty."

"Yes, but when you say a party starts at seven usually people don't arrive until eight or so." Mary says as if it is obvious.

Lily nods as if she too knows this to be true. "Oh, yes, well I just needed to get away from Petunia."

Mary gives her a sympathetic look."I can understand that. Here let me show you my room, you can drop your things in there."

As they walked through the house Mary tells Lily all about her summer so far and how she met a cute bloke in London last weekend.

At around eight they head back down to the large canopy and find that the others have already started to arrive. A group of seventh year Ravenclaw's stand near the drinks table laughing and a few Hufflepuffs are chatting by the snacks and still more are strewn about the tables.

"Lily! You actually showed this year!" Beth says while pulling the red-head into a tight hug.

"I told you she was definitely coming in my letter, Beth." Mary says exasperated.

"Yes, but I decided I wasn't going to believe it until I saw it."

"Well, believe it." Lily laughs. The two of them sit at a table and catch up on each other's summers while Mary goes to greet people.

Lily is telling Beth about Petunia and Vernon and how horrible he is when they arrive. She should have known The Marauders where there as soon as Beth turned in her chair, but it was the girls at the next table suddenly lunging for their compacts to check their reflections that clued her in. She turns her head to the mouth of the tent and sees the four boys entering with a swagger that clearly tells all attendees that the party has arrived.

Mary waves at them and they join her at the expensive looking Wizarding Wireless. After a lot of nodding from all of them Mary smiles and walks over to where Lily and Beth sit. Potter walks over to say hello to Mary's parents and the other Marauders grab a table near the entrance.

"Having fun?" Mary asks as she sits.

"Yes, Lily was just telling me about Bornon." Beth says making a gagging noise. All three girls have a good laugh at Lily's sister's tiresome boyfriend before a large firework goes off above the canopy. Lily looks around for the source.

"It's my parents warning to listen up." Mary explains and turns her attention to her parents.

"Mr. Macdonald and I would like to thank you all for coming again this year. We are so happy to have all of you. Just as every year we expect you all to have fun and behave yourselves. And as we have never had any problems before, we will let you all stay until eleven this year!" Mrs. Macdonald says with a huge smile.

A few people let out small snorts of laughter at this but quiet them almost instantly.

"It is just now ten, and we will be retiring to our bedroom for the evening. Aggie will be ushering you all out so please don't give her too hard a time. Good night!" Mr. Macdonald calls.

Mary rises from her seat to follow them back up to the house. Lily watches her go and notices Remus and Pettigrew inconspicuously stand up and follow her. Lily vaguely wonders where Potter and Black got off to but not caring too much. _Why is everyone just staring at the house and why have they all fallen silent?_ She wonders looking around at her peers.

She turns to Beth to ask her what's going on but just then red sparks fly from an upstairs window and the whole tent seems to transform. Tables are being pushed to the back as the dance floor expands and the lighting dims. Potter and Black return each hovering a keg of mead with their wands and Pettigrew and Remus fiddle with the wireless and find a station that is more to their liking.

Lily laughs as she sees Mary reemerge into the tent wearing a much more revealing outfit than she had been wearing only ten minutes ago. She turns to Beth to comment on how this is certainly a change but finds she is missing, she has already been hauled onto the dance floor by a handsome Ravenclaw seventh year.

Mary and Potter pass out glasses of mead to a queue around the drinks table and Black and Pettigrew begin doing shots of what looks to be Firewhisky. Where they got the mead and Firewhisky Lily doesn't know but the fact that at least twenty-five or so of them are underage didn't seem to bother anyone but her.

A short boy she vaguely recognizes to be in Hufflepuff approaches her. "Hi Lily, fancy a dance?" He says. Lily looks up at him trying to place him, he isn't a prefect, and isn't in her year.

"Uh, no thanks, I am not much of a dancer." She says kindly. He shrugs and walks back to a group of his friends who seem to be laughing at him. Well, it is true. Lily has never been a good dancer and didn't care for it much because of that.

A group of girls collapse into the seats surrounding the table next to Lily.

"I'm telling you, he will be begging for me to dance with him this year." A brunette girl says. Lily watches her friend roll her eyes.

"I doubt it, he hasn't danced at all yet tonight, none of them have. I was going to ask Sirius but I saw him turn down that freak from Ravenclaw so I didn't bother."

"If any Marauder is asking you to dance tonight it will be Peter." Another adds.

"Oh you guys are hideous. I'm telling you, James will ask me, I plan on _accidentally_ spilling some mead on my top right in front of him, he will be like putty in my hands."

Lily turns away from the girls in disgust. She just can't understand why girls objectify themselves this way. She can't sit here and listen to their pointless chatter anymore. She stands and heads to a table furthest from the girls near the edge of the tent.

Lily just sits and watches as everything unfolds around her. The music stops suddenly and she watches as Mary and Albert Jorkins, a Hufflepuff prefect in their year, try and fix it.

"Can't believe she actually showed." Lily hears someone say but can't tell where the voice is coming from.

"Who even invited her? Are her and Mary friends again?"

Lily is in shock. The voices belong to The Marauders and they are coming from outside the tent. How strange for them not to be in the thick of a good party. She hears Potter respond.

"I don't think they ever weren't friends. Mary just didn't like how close she and Snape were." _Does Potter sound annoyed? _It's incredibly frustrating that she can't see their faces.

"Well still, why come to a party if you aren't going to have fun? Did you see her just sitting there looking all judgmental?" Black asks. Lily frowns at this, she hadn't meant to look critical she was just observing.

"I know. Did you see the looks she was shooting at me when Prongs and I were doing shots?" Remus says. "I can almost hear her reprimand." Then adopting an imitation of Lily's voice he mocks her. "'_You're supposed to a prefect Lupin. You need to set a better example._' I'm nearly seventeen for Merlin's sake." He finishes sounding exasperated.

"And we aren't even in school." Pettigrew adds snickering.

"I'm sure she is just upset with _who_ you are drinking with, not that you are. _'How could you do a shot with the horrible, bullying toerag that is James Potter?_' I am pretty sure that is the only reason she disapproves."

Lily slumps back in her chair. _Is that true? _She thinks. _Would it bother me if Severus was here doing the same thing, or it only because The Marauders?_

The music starts up again and their voices are drowned out. Lily looks around and sees her Ravenclaw friends on the dance floor. Prim dancing with Albert, Annie with a cute boy Lily doesn't know. She spots Mary and Beth doing shots near the drinks table.

_ to have fun._ She thinks. _I have dwelled over Severus long enough. I have to move on. _Lily rises from her seat and joins her friends in doing shots. After Lily's second shot, Mary and Beth's third, The Marauders return.

"Whoa, ladies, save some for us!" Black says grabbing the bottle from Mary. She turns to him and smirks.

"How about this, Black?" She asks and she kisses him full on the lips before turning away and joining a tall boy on the dance floor.

Sirius looks stunned before pouring himself and Potter a shot. Downing it quickly he grabs the arm of the closest girl to him and pulls her out on the dance floor next to where Mary is dancing. He doesn't even seem to notice the girl he is dancing with, eyes always on Mary.

Lily is brought back to the presence of the others at her table by Remus saying, "Fancy a dance Beth?"

"Sure!" Her friend agrees and heads off with him to dance near Black and Mary who seem locked in some kind of competition to see who could dance the most provocatively with their partner.

"What do you say, Evans, want me to teach you how to dance?" Potter says setting down his empty shot glass.

"Not even slightly." She answers. He shrugs and just as Black had, he seems to pluck a girl out of thin air.

Lily realizes then that it is just her and Pettigrew left at the table so she stands and grabs a hold of Annie who had just come off the dance floor. "Dance with me?"

"Sure Lily!" She answers rather confused and follows her friend onto the floor.

The night winds down and people finally pile out of the tent it is nearly two in the morning. Lily had a wonderful time, it felt so good to just let go of all her worries and have fun with her friends and be a teenager. She watches Beth give Remus a kiss goodnight and Mary wave goodbye to Potter and Black before the three girls head upstairs to bed. It had been quite a wonderful night.

-J-3-L-

Lily walks through the barrier on September first breathing a sigh of relief for the first time since Mary's party. She is finally back in the company of people who can fully understand her. She loves her family very much, but sometimes she wonders if it wouldn't just be easier for everyone if she were to just stay in the wizarding world for good.

"Lily!" Mary calls from Lily's left. "Beth's got us a compartment near the end. She says she wants to be near Remus." Mary says pausing to giggle. "We'll see you there when you are finished patrolling?" She asks and Lily nods.

After her patrol Lily goes up front to buy some snacks from the woman who pushes the trolley. As she heads back down the train to the compartment Mary told her they would be in, she sees Potter standing in the corridor intertwined with a tall blonde girl. She rushes past them quickly, finding the kissing couple nauseating.

Lily enters the compartment to find that Mary and Beth are not alone. Pettigrew and Remus had joined them.

"Oh Remus, that is hilarious!" Beth says laughing loudly. Lily gives Mary a pointed look before sitting down next to her.

"So, where are James and Sirius?" Mary asks the two boys.

"James is down the train with his new girlfriend Dee something-or-other from Hufflepuff and last we saw Sirius he was chatting up one of her friends." Pettigrew sums up.

"Dee? Dee Abbott, twin sister of Dennis Abbott?" Mary asks a note of excitement in her voice.

"Uh, yeah that sounds right." Pettigrew says unsure.

"Oh he is so cute, don't you think?" Mary asks looking from Beth to Lily. It is true that Dennis Abbott is handsome with his pale blonde hair the same shade as his sisters and those electric blue eyes, but he also seemed vain and self-important.

"Imagine our disappointment, when we return to the compartment expecting to see our friends, but instead we receive an empty room." Black's voice comes from the compartment door.

"Very disappointing." Potter agrees. "You didn't even leave a note. We were worried." He says mockingly.

Everyone laughs at their playful banter. Pettigrew rises from his seat and follows Potter and Black back into The Marauder compartment. Remus follows shortly after and tells the girls to drop by before the end of the journey.

"Oh come on; let's go over there, you know it will be fun!" Beth urges.

"You don't need to ask me twice. Besides, I want to see if James will have Dee set me up with Dennis." Mary says excitedly.

Lily deliberates for a second. She had made a promise herself over the summer that she would try to have more fun this year and try new things. This will definitely be new for her. "Alright." She finally agrees.

"Oh yay! Thanks Lily! If James gets too annoying for you, Mary will just drag him into a conversation again." Beth promises and the three girls make their way across the hall to join The Marauders.

"Hello ladies, come on in!" Black says as Mary opens the compartment door.

Mary sits down between Black and Potter and Beth takes the window seat next to Remus. This leaves Lily to sit next to either Potter or Pettigrew. _Well, at least if I sit next to Potter I have a window to look out of._ She reasons and sits down next to him.

"So how'd you guys do in O.W.L.'s?" Mary asks.

"I did alright." Pettigrew tells her. "Got mostly E's and a couple A's. I failed History of Magic and Potions."

Mary nods."What about you Remus?"

"Eight O's and one E in Transfiguration." He says and everyone congratulates him.

"I got seven O's. Got a D from Binns and an E in Potions." Sirius says smiling smugly.

Lily almost rolls her eyes. _Of course Black would get as many O's as me. Why wouldn't he? Bet Potter did as well. _Lily thinks bitterly.

"I only got one O, in Divination." Beth says with a self-conscious smile. "But I did pretty well on everything else except Potions." She says scrunching up her nose in disgust. Everyone laughs.

"I only got one O as well Beth, Herbology, but I didn't fail anything else not even History of Magic. I blame Lily and her excessive notes." Mary tells them and everyone laughs.

"How did you do Lily? You didn't mention in any of your letters." Beth asks.

"Well, not quite as good as Remus, but I got seven O's and two E's, Arithmancy and Transfiguration." Everyone congratulates her as well and she is pleased with herself.

"What about you James? I don't think you told us how you did." Mary asks.

James clears his throat uncomfortably. "Eight O's. But I failed Binns. I probably could have used your notes." He says looking at Lily with a smirk. Lily looks back astonished. He had almost done as well as Remus.

"You got eight O's?" Beth asks incredulously.

"It's no big deal, Remus did too." He says nodding to his friend.

"Yes, but Remus studied his arse off, all you did was sit around and talk about Quidditch or hex Slytherins." Mary points out.

"Hey! I studied didn't I, Moony!" James protests.

"He did." Remus confirms. "But only for Charms and Potions. Only things he needed to study. Lucky git. Sirius studied too. The only reason he didn't get an O in Potions is because his examiner knows his mother. I guarantee he made a smart arse remark or two to her, causing her to dock a few points?" Remus guesses and Sirius smirks.

"Well, she wouldn't shut up about how Potions comes naturally to the Blacks – so, I may have called her a batty old hag." Potter smirks at this and gives Black a high-five over Mary's head.

Lily can't believe Potter got eight O's. _Eight!_

"I bet you two were top then." Lily says a little sourly nodding between Remus and Potter.

"Nah, Prim got eleven O's. Didn't you hear her bragging at my party?" Mary asks.

"I think Albert got nine and Annie even got eight." Beth says.

"Primrose got eleven O's?!" Peter asks astonished.

"Birds bloody brilliant." Potter says and Lily smiles. Prim is very smart.

"She sure wiped the floor with the two of you."

"How can you even take eleven classes?" Black asks.

"Teachers must have been helping her out, given her private lessons. Or more likely she took certain ones with other houses. I think I saw her in Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs a few times." Remus shrugs.

"No, I mean how can you take eleven classes and not die of boredom." Black clarifies and everyone, even Lily, laughs.

They fall silent after a moment and Beth immediately grabs Remus' attention by talking about their summers.

"So, did you end up going to that Muggle play?" Mary asks Potter and Lily turns her head to listen, interested in what Muggle play could possibly interest Potter.

"Nah, Sirius and my mum went. My dad and I just stayed home." He says and when Mary turns to ask Sirius about the play, Potter turns his attention to Lily.

"How was your summer, Evans?" He asks.

"Alright. Glad to be back. What about you?" It seems so strange to her, sitting next to Potter talking to him normally, not wanting to run away screaming.

"Good, pretty much the same as every other year."

"What do you do with all the free time?" She asks genuinely interested in what his hobbies could possibly be when there weren't innocent people around to hex.

"Sirius and I hang out or play Quidditch, sometimes we go into the Muggle village near my house, but mostly we just occupied ourselves with helping my mum with stuff around the house."

Lily nods. He spends his time doing normal things, he lives near a Muggle town which strikes her as odd, most wealthy pure-blood families live in their own communities as far as Lily knew, like Mary's family.

"What about you?"

"Uh, well normally –"

"I can't believe it, can you?" Lily was cut off by Black.

"Believe what?" James asks turning to his friend a look of annoyance clear on his face.

"No, I can't believe it either." Mary answers Black.

"Believe what?" Lily repeats James' question.

"You two, actually having a conversation without raised voices." Black answers.

"It's so civil." Mary adds. Lily can feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Oh come on mates, we have had a normal conversation before." James says looking at Lily for help. "There was the one time – no you ended up storming out in a huff."

"What about the time – no she shouted at you then too." Pettigrew adds.

"I don't think she yelled at him at all those couple months in fourth year." Beth supplies.

"That's just because she refused to speak to him at all." Remus says a smirk on his face.

Everyone erupts in laughter and Lily joins in. It is quite absurd that it took her and James so long to have a normal conversation.

* * *

**A/N – Let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N – Chapter 8, as promised to those who want it!**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

Lily has made it through the first few days back without much incident.

As she walks down to the dungeons Friday afternoon she knows that is about to change. Neither Beth nor Mary we able to continue on taking Potions into N.E.W.T.'s and since she is no longer friends with Snape she knows she will have no one to sit with. It was going to be a complete nightmare, hopefully either Primrose or Annie has decided to continue taking the class, or she will be sitting with a couple of unfriendly walks through the open door to the dungeon and inwardly groans.

She had taken her time to get down here so most of the tables are already full. There are four tables set up. Annie and Primrose, who as it turns out had decided to take the class, were already seated at the one closest to Lily with two fellow Ravenclaws. The table furthest from Lily held three people. A Hufflepuff girl, Natalie Edgecombe, who Lily isn't too fond of, sits with, to Lily's amazement, Caitlin. Across from them is, _Mulciber? Why is Caitlin sitting with him? Didn't he ditch her at the end of fifth year?_

The table closest to Slughorn's desk was filled with Slytherins, including Severus. The last table is empty. Lily would have gone and sat down with Caitlin, as a last resort, but there was no way she would sit with Mulciber. But it was either that or she would have to sit at one of the empty tables alone. _What a lonely year this is going to be, _she thinks sadly as she heads towards the empty table.

"Lily, over here, we have an empty seat." Someone calls out to her.

Lily turns around to look hopefully at a table near the back she hadn't noticed before. Remus, James and Black sit around it. Lily smiles brightly, feeling optimism run through her. She hadn't realized that they were talking N.E.W.T.'s Potions. She should have though, considering how well they all do in the subject without truly trying. Both James and Remus had gotten O's and Sirius should have, or so she is told.

"Are you sure?" She asks when she reaches them.

"Of course Evans, take a seat!" Black says and Lily sits down next to Remus.

She smiles at her new desk mates - James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. _Who would have thought, _she thinks_. _They return her smile as Slughorn enters the room._ I can put up with all of Potter's antics if it means I don't have to sit alone, or worse, with Mulciber._

"Welcome to N.E.W.T. Potions! I am glad to see all my best students have returned!" Slughorn calls winking at Lily. She hears snorts from James and Black and she turns to glare at them before returning her gaze to the professor.

"In front of you today are three of my favorite potions, all of which you will be expected to be able to brew by the end of this year. Can anyone tell me what this first one in front of me is?" Lily raises her hand as she recognizes the slowly bubbling mud-like potion the professor indicates.

"Yes, Lily dear?" He asks with a smile much like an uncle surveying his favorite niece.

"The Polyjuice Potion." She says confidently.

"It is indeed my dear. Can anyone tell me what this potion does?"

Lily again raises her hand but notices that a few others do the same. Slughorn calls on one of the misses his answer as she is distracted by James whispering.

"It transforms Wormtail into Regina Bulstrode for a few hours."

The three boys at her table shake in silent laughter. _What does that mean? Have they already brewed the Polyjuice Potion and used it on their friend? _Lily wonders. _What sort of joke is that?_

Then the image of Pettigrew transforming into the extremely unattractive Regina Bulstrode, who is a Slytherin a year above them, pops in her head and she finds herself close to laughter as well. _Talk about going from bad to worse. S_he forces herself to focus back on what her Professor is saying.

"An excellent assessment, Hewitt, very thorough. Take five points for Ravenclaw. Now let's move on to our next potion here." Slughorn says pointing at the cauldron closest to the front of the classroom.

Lily leans forward to get a better look at it and notices the mother-of-pearl sheen and the steam rising in spirals above it. She knows instantly what it is and raises her hand high.

"Miss Crouch?" Slughorn calls.

"It's Amortentia. A love potion." Cait answers.

Lily wonders momentarily how Cait knows this, has she been brewing up some of her own? But then she remembers that she was good enough at Potions to get at least an Exceeds Expectations in the O.W.L., so maybe she does know more than Lily gives her credit for.

"Correct. The most powerful of love potions." Slughorn says then after a moment of deliberation. "Possibly the most powerful of all the Potions here in front of me." He says. Many people scoff at this pronouncement, including all the members of the Gryffindor table.

"You may sneer, but you can never underestimate the power of obsessive love. It is unlike any magic I have ever known." Slughorn says and begins to waft the steam towards the students.

Lily's head seems to go foggy as she gets a large whiff of the seductive scent. It smells of hot chocolate mixed in with fresh ink and something she can't quite place. _It's almost musky but slightly spicy. _She thinks. She tries to take another whiff but the professor has put a lid on top of the still swirling potion.

"Don't want you to get taken in by the smell. We can't have fifteen love-sick teenagers running around the castle now can we?" A few students snigger at his words. "Well, not love-sick off a potion anyway." He amends with a smile. "Can anyone tell me why this potion is so extremely powerful or why it is so difficult to brew?" He inquires.

Lily looks around, no one raises their hand and she herself doesn't know the answer. _What could be so special about a love potion?_

"Ah, well Amortentia is so special because, unlike other love potions, it is specifically designed to work for the drinkers likes. As I wafted the potion in each of your directions you will have each smelled something different. A few of you may have smelled similar things, but not exactly the same, for that is the beautiful thing about this potion. It lets you see and smell exactly what attracts you most."

She hears her desk mates sniggering and she glances around to see what they find so funny and she knows instantly what it is. Severus is staring directly at her.

"We all know what Snivelly smells." Black says and Remus chuckles. Lily pretends she didn't hear them and doesn't look at Severus again. She can feel his eyes on her still. "Wonder if he will try to slip it to you, Evans?" Black continues with a laugh.

"Yeah, better have a first year test all your drinks first, just in case." James is tempted to laugh at their teasing but she keeps her resolve.

People had made jokes about her and Severus for years, and Severus always denied it quickly. She used to think he was embarrassed but now she assumes it was because he didn't want any of his Slytherin cronies thinking he's a Mudblood lover. _He probably was looking over at me to see if a Muggle-born can even smell a potion._ She thinks viciously. No matter what they used to be before, she can never forgive him for who he's become.

She tries to distract herself from these unpleasant thoughts by going over all the smells that came under her nose. The musky smell was the only thing unknown to her. _I don't think I have ever smelled that on anyone before. It kind of reminds me of the Prefect's Bathroom. _Unsure as to why it reminds her of the Prefect's bathroom she lets it go.

"This is, again, why it is so dangerous." Slughorn continues, unaware of the inattention of Lily's table. "Along with the effects of a regular love potion, it also heightens your natural attraction to the brewer. Rather ingenious little potion." Lily nods. She can appreciate the brilliance of the potion even if she finds it completely useless.

"Right, then –" Slughorn begins but Snape cuts him off.

"Sir, is that Felix Felicis?" He asks excitedly. Lily too feels excited at the words, as does most of the class as some let out gasps and try to get a better look at the tiny bubbling potion on their professor's desk.

"Why yes Severus it is." He says with a smirk. "I trust you know what it does then?"

"It is liquid luck." Snape says a hungry expression now replacing the excited one. Lily doesn't quite like that look.

"Indeed it is my boy. One swig of this magnificent enchantress and you will have the best day of your life." Lily hears whispers from the boys surrounding her but ignores them properly this time, eager to pay attention.

"It is also my prize for this lesson." Slughorn says now commanding the attention of everyone in the room. He explains the potion they are to be brewing today telling them which ingredients will be needed and Lily feels her hands shaking in excitement. _How wonderful would it be to have that one lucky day?_

"Get to work now. I will let you know when it is time to stop." Slughorn calls.

Lily gets to work quickly. She doesn't pay much attention to what anyone else was doing but she can hear the laughter and chatter of The Marauders and tries to tunes them out. By the end of the lesson her potion is the exact crystal clear color that her textbook indicates it should be. Feeling pleased with herself she sits back down on her stool and watches as Slughorn walks around the classroom giving approving nods here and there.

At Mulciber's potion he pulls his head back coughing at the black smoke now rising from it. Remus, James and Black all laugh at this and Lily tries to cover her grin. How Mulciber had made it to N.E.W.T. level is beyond her understanding. Lily stands proudly by her potion as Slughorn inspects her cauldron.

"I don't know why I even bothered checking, absolutely marvelous, Lily." Slughorn says then continues on to check the others at her table.

"Very nice Mr. Potter, a few more counter-clockwise stirs would have cleared the fog right up."

"Ah, yes, thank you professor." James says with a frown, realizing his mistake too late.

"Mr. Black, I believe you still might need a touch of the sopophorous bean juice. Are you sure you squeezed it all out?" Slughorn asks while he looks at Black's still dark purple potion.

"I thought so Sir, but I might have spilled a bit." He admits looking sheepish.

"More like splashed a bit at Moony." James mutters under his breath and Lily lets out a low giggle that she turns into a small cough as he looks at her curiously. _They are really entertaining._

"Ah Mr. Lupin, yours does seem to have the desired color, but I can tell by the slight odor coming from it, that this might actually do more damage than the potions intended purpose. Did you turn clockwise instead of counter-clockwise?" Slughorn guesses.

"Uh, yes professor. Sorry, I –"

"It's ok Mr. Lupin. It's alright to make a mistake every once in a while. I just wouldn't suggest we let anyone drink this particular potion." He says with a small smiling before walking away.

"Hey, at least you got the general gist of the potion. Avery's melted a hole through their table when it dropped on it. Did you see?" James says as means of cheering his friend up. Lily too smiles at this. Not only had she seen the disastrous results of the Slytherin's potion, but it was a kind thing for James to say when he saw that his friend was upset.

"Thanks. I just forgot the importance of the direction you stir. To me, stirring is just stirring." Remus says shrugging.

Lily gives him an understanding nod. She can understand his logic. She too is still amazed at how different one simple movement can make a potion. It's one of the things she likes the most about Potions.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, we have a clear winner." Slughorn announces when he returns to his desk. "Miss Evans, your potion was by far the best. Please come up here and claim your prize." He says boisterously.

Lily smiles widely as the three boys at her table, Prim, and Annie clap enthusiastically for her. She chances a glance at Snape and is told by his nasty glare that he too was very close to making the potion perfectly and now will probably continue to work on it until he gets it completely correct. Slughorn pulls her into a conversation about how perfectly she brewed the potion that took up the remainder of the lesson.

The bell rings Lily returns to her station sullenly to clear up, but she finds that it had already been done for her. Her books are stacked neatly by her bag and her cauldron is empty and clean. Looking around she sees The Marauders exiting the dungeon laughing and she rushes to catch up to them.

"Remus, wait up!" She calls and the three boys stop and turn to wait for her. "Thanks for clearing my station for me, I would have missed dinner if I had to do it all by myself."

"It was nothing, Lily. Prongs got his potion cleared up pretty quickly so he had time to spare." Remus says.

Lily looks over at James and smiles. "Thanks."

"Like Moony said, it was nothing." James says looking a little embarrassed.

"Come on let's get moving, if we don't hurry Wormtail will have eaten all the good stuff." Black says and the others laugh as they make their way up to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Don't think that just because Evans joined us you don't have to answer the question though, Moony." Black says.

"What question?" Lily asks interested.

"We want to know what he smelled in the Amortentia." James explains.

"Oh." Lily says understanding and looks over at Remus who looks embarrassed.

"I dunno." Remus says not meeting their eyes.

"Could it have been Essence of Elizabeth?" Black asks laughing.

"Or maybe you got a sniff of Seeker?" James asks also laughing. Lily watches as Remus' cheeks go red. And she tries to hide her smile.

"Shut it you!" Remus says aiming a punch at Black but missing as he jumps out of his way.

"We're just asking, Moony." James says also ducking.

"What was it you smelled, eh Prongs? I am guessing a certain flower?" Remus shoots back and James goes red as he aims a kick at Remus. Black laughs uproariously at this as they enter the Great Hall.

Lily doesn't understand that reference, but assumes James' girlfriend must wear some sort of flowery perfume. The teasing dies as they join Mary and Beth at the Gryffindor table. It was definitely a change, to be eating dinner with The Marauders but, it wasn't so bad.

* * *

The first full week back had been pretty enjoyable for James.

He already has his Quidditch try-outs set up for the following week and he and Dee had met in private a few times for a good snog. All his classes are enjoyable now that he has dumped the dull ones such as, Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy and History of Magic. He feels like life is pretty good as he sits down for breakfast Sunday morning. He hadn't felt like waiting for the others to get up, so he had come alone.

James reaches for the fried eggs in front of him when the post owls arrive. One drops a Daily Profit down in front of him and his family owl, Hamlet, brings him a note from his mother.

James finishes reading the letter telling him all is well at home and that his dad found the wartcap powder that he and Sirius had hid in The Marauder Room and they are not happy about. James chuckles at this and returns to his breakfast, knowing that his mother will forget all about it by her next letter.

A rustle of papers alerts him for the first time that he is not alone.

He looks up to see Lily sitting directly across from him reading the newspaper while eating a piece of toast. James blinks rapidly to make sure he isn't seeing things and his hand flies up to his hair. He looks around to make sure he hasn't just entered an alternate universe. _ Nope, still in the Great Hall. _

He wonders momentarily what he should do. _Should I talk to her? Should I ignore her? _He decides to mimic her and reaches for his paper, but sees that it's missing. Not only has she decided to join him for breakfast, she has stolen his paper, or a more accurate account is probably that Lily joined him for breakfast so that she could steal his paper. Either way he decides not to comment on her thievery.

"Did you finish that essay for Runes?" He asks her casually, as if they sit with each other for every meal.

"Yes, I finished it during my free period on Thursday. Did you finish yours?"

"Yeah, I had free time on Thursday as well."

"Hm, that's good." She says focusing still on the paper.

James looks down at his eggs wishing he had something more interesting to say, but suddenly his mind is blank. Normally they wouldn't have even gotten this far without him asking her out on a date. The surprise of her willingly joining him shocked him so much that he hadn't even considered it. _And because you already have a girlfriend_.

As if to remind him of this, Dee stands from her spot at the Hufflepuff table and waves over to him. He nods to her and gives her a smile as she leaves the hall. _She _is_ hot._ He thinks as he finishes off his eggs.

"Do you think Remus and Beth will ever get together?" Lily asks as she sets the paper down and grabs some bacon.

"I dunno what Beth is thinking, but I know Remus likes her. He is just really shy. He doesn't like to feel pressured." James says, thinking back to his friends comments on the situation.

"Beth likes him a lot. She is just not one to make the first move, so if he doesn't ask her, she will never ask him." Lily tells him.

"Good to know, I will pass it on." James says also selecting a piece of bacon.

He can't remember a time when they were alone together and not fighting. They hadn't fought lately, but that also had a lot to do with the fact that others were always around to distract her when she got too annoyed with him. He wonders how long this pleasant breakfast will last.

"James?" Lily says in a small voice.

James freezes. _Did she just call me James? Am I hearing things?_ He wonders. _Maybe I should see Pomfrey and get them checked out. _ But before he does that, he has to respond.

"Yes, Lily?" He asks looking her in the eye, feeling his stomach do a funny backflip as he says this.

"I am really sorry for how I treated you in the past. I am not saying you didn't deserve almost all of it, but I know sometimes I stepped out of line." She says looking down at her plate the pink in her cheeks telling him that she is embarrassed. James is stunned. She had just apologized to him.

"It's ok Lily, I never made things easy for you. Besides, like you said, I deserved almost all of it." He repeats with a chuckle. Lily chuckles too.

"Well, I told Mary I would take her some food. She didn't feel like getting up for breakfast." Lily says.

"Here take her the blueberry pancakes. She loves them." James tells her and hands her a plate. Lily looks slightly shocked.

"Thanks see you later!" She says as she exits the hall, leaving James still flabbergasted at the whole interaction.

_Are Lily and I friends now? _ He wonders.

-L-3-J-

James can hardly believe that they have been back at Hogwarts for nearly two months.

Halloween had come quickly and with it comes a Hogsmeade weekend for the sixth years. This also means that it is his first "official" date with Dee. She had hinted strongly that if he didn't take her out on a proper date then she wouldn't be meeting him behind the greenhouse for their usual Sunday afternoon rendezvous. And he _really_ wants to meet behind the greenhouses, so he walks hand-in-hand with her down the path to Hogsmeade.

Sirius, his arm around a very pretty fourth year from Hufflepuff, is walking just behind them and Remus, his date and Peter walking slightly behind them. James still can't understand why Remus hadn't asked Beth to come with him, everyone had expected him too. He decides he'll have to ask him later.

The group enters Hogsmeade and Sirius immediately pulls his impressionable date off towards the Hogshead. Remus and his date walk into the nearest shop with Peter tagging along behind. James turns to face Dee.

"Right, so where would you like to go?" She gives him a reproachful look, obviously displeased that he hadn't planned anything.

"Let's go to Madam Puddifoot's. It's so romantic." She gushes.

_Of course she'd want to go to that sickening tea shop. _James thinks mentally rolling his eyes but allowing her to lead him through the pink door, reminding himself that this will all be worth it after he sees what waits for him tomorrow night behind the greenhouses.

* * *

Lily walks with her arm linked with Beth's whose other arm is linked with Mary into Hogsmeade.

She watches James being dragged into Madam Puddifoot's by his girlfriend. She sniggers as the image of James, all one hundred and eighty-eight centimeters of him, sitting in the grotesquely decorated tea shop pops into her head. _Why would she take him there? She must not know him at all._

_You don't know him all that well either._ Her mind reminds her. _He may really like romantic tea shops._ Lily considers this and then shakes her head. Sure, she doesn't know James very well, but she knows him enough to know that he would never willing go into a place like that. _Why do I even care?_ She asks herself.

She looks around to distract herself and sees Remus walking into a shop with his date. _He brought a date?_ Lily thinks astonished. _Hopefully Beth didn't see_. And to her luck her friend's attention was on a couple who were snogging on a bench near the bookstore.

"I can't believe she is dating him." Beth says and Mary laughs.

"Oh come on Beth, you know she'll snog anything that breathes." All three girls laugh as they watch Caitlin break away from Joe Stebbins, the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain.

When Cait spots them looking at her she hurries over as if the girls were waiting for her.

"Hi guys!" She smiles almost too widely. "Listen Lily, I know Joe asked you out last week, but you said no right? So I figured you wouldn't be mad." She says in a mock concerned way.

"Oh no, it's completely fine. I am not interested. He is all yours." Lily assures her.

It is perfectly true. Joe was handsome enough and reasonably clever, but he was a little bit immature and slightly too short. Lily likes her men tall. Caitlin gives another fake smile and rushes back to where Stebbins waits for her.

"She has to be one of the fakest people I have ever met." Mary comments. They laugh and begin to poke around in the shops.

A short while later they head over to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. When they enter the pub they see that it is pretty crowded with Hogwarts students, but sitting at a table in the corner is Remus, his date, and Peter. Beth points them out and leads the way over to their table.

Lily knows exactly why. Remus had told Beth a week ago that he doesn't want a relationship right now and then he shows up in Hogsmeade with a date. If she were Beth, she'd want answers too. Mary gives Lily a "here we go" look and the two girls follow their friend.

"Hi guys! Mind if we join you?" Beth asks looking only at Remus.

"Sure!" Peter says excitedly and stands up, "I'll get you ladies some drinks." He says at an obvious attempt to be smooth.

The girls take their seats and Remus introduces his date. "This is Jasmine. She is in Ravenclaw a year below us." He says eyes determinedly not meeting Beth's."This is Lily, Beth and Mary." Remus says pointing to each girl individually.

"Nice to meet you." Lily and Jasmine say at the exact same time and giggle to cover the obvious awkwardness that having three older girls crash her date must have brought on.

Peter returns then with their drinks and they thank him. The five of them fall into uneasy conversation, both Beth and Remus avoiding so much as looking at each other and Peter awkwardly sipping his drink, leaving Mary and Lily to carry the conversation.

It's lunchtime when Sirius shows up looking flushed and rather ruffled. "Budge down mate." He says to Peter, nursing a glass of Firewhiskey in his hands.

"A little strong for a Saturday afternoon don't you think, Sirius?" Mary comments.

"Not after the day I just had. Blimey, it's as if you can't enjoy a good snog in the Hogshead anymore."

"What happened mate?" Remus asks unable to hold in his chuckle.

"Shannon's brother came in, big bloke ya know, in Slytherin. The old bartender broke us up before it came to a duel, but I don't think I will be dating her again." They all laughed at his disastrous date and the conversation seemed to flow much easier now with Sirius there.

"We'll get this round." Lily says and she Mary, and Beth go to get more butterbeer. When they settle back down James and his girlfriend arrive both looking slightly annoyed.

"Let's get a bigger table." Remus suggests and while James goes to get his girlfriend and himself a drink the others move to a larger table. James returns and hands the blonde girl a butterbeer.

"I asked for a soda with cherry syrup, Jamesy." She says in a pouty voice.

"Sorry, Rosie says they are out of the syrup." James says quickly and then turns to talk to his friends leaving her looking sulky.

After several more rounds the women all stand to go to the bathroom.

"Why is it that you witches always need to go to the loo in packs?" Sirius shouts as they retreat. No one answers him.

When they enter the restroom the gossip begins.

"So, Dee, how are things with James?" Mary asks.

Danielle Abbott's eyes shine brightly as she gushes. "He has the most fantastic body. I swear, dating a Quidditch player is the only way to go, and he is such a good kisser. And, he can afford to take a classy girl like myself wherever I want to go. He really is the whole package."

Lily doesn't like Danielle much. Must be her voice, what a horribly nasally voice.

"So things are going good then?" Beth surmises hiding a smirk.

"Well," Danielle begins biting her lip and throws Lily a dirty look. _What was that for? _"They were until we got into a big row outside Madam Puddifoot's."

She looks concerned for a second but then continues with a shrug. "Oh well, he is far too handsome to let a stupid fight get in the way. You know, I hear his house is gigantic. I am hoping he invites me for Christmas." She says looking excited.

Lily likes the girl less and less the more she talks. She seems very superficial. _She wouldn't even be here if James weren't Quidditch captain._ Lily thinks.

She turns to Jasmine. "So, how are things going between you and Remus?" She just wants to stop that annoying voice from jabbering on about nothing and she knows Beth has been dying for someone to ask this question.

"Well, I don't think he is too interested actually." She muses. "I mean he is nice enough, and Merlin knows any girl would be lucky to date a Marauder, but he won't even touch me, not even to hold my hand." She says slightly put out. Lily glances over at Beth, who could no longer contain her smile.

The girls head back to the table then and the easy conversation carries on. When Danielle spots a couple of girls walking away from the bar with cherry sodas she turns on James.

"Looks like _Rosie _got more syrup in. Go get me a cherry soda with an umbrella." James looks at her flabbergasted and slightly guiltily.

"She never ran out of the syrup to be honest, I just didn't want to order thatdrink." She glares at him. "There is no way a bloke can get away with ordering that poncey shit without being accused of being a poof." He informs her.

The Marauders all agree and Danielle pouts and stays silent for the rest of the afternoon.

As the large group of nine walk together back to school Lily has to admit to herself it has been one of her best Hogsmeade trips yet.

* * *

**A/N – Let me know what you think **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – And another one. Because, apparently, sleep doesn't matter to me anymore. :)**

_Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Letters and Notes will be in bold.**

* * *

If you would have told James Potter three months ago that he would be sitting laughing with Lily Evans at the dinner table, and it _wasn't_ because she had just poured pumpkin juice over his head, he would have said you were mad.

Yet here she sits, between himself and Peter laughing madly at his impersonation of Professor Roca, their newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She even grabs hold of his arm as to stop herself from falling off the bench because she is laughing so hard.

This is how it has been for weeks now. Lily, Mary and Beth would sit with The Marauders at meals, in classes, study with them in the common room and even spend free time together. It is so different from previous years that James is still having trouble wrapping his head around it.

"Stop it James! I think my ribs are about to burst!" Beth protests. She and Mary were both having trouble breathing because they were laughing too much.

"That's nothing. You should see Moony's McGonagall impression. That is the best one." James tells them and they all turn to watch Remus do his uncanny impression of their Head of House yelling at James and Sirius.

Lily nearly spit out her pudding at this, which made everyone laugh even more.

"What, may I ask, is so hilarious?" Dee asks coming up behind James and making Lily and Peter jump.

"Look, watch this!" He insists and motions for her to sit next to him on the empty bench to his left. "Do it again Moony!" James prompts and Remus straightens up.

"_James Potter, if you don't get your ridiculous backside to my office in the next three seconds I will put you in detentions with Professor Binns for the next week!_" Remus says perfectly imitating their favorite professor.

The others and James erupt in laughter yet again but Dee just looks at him.

"It's good, yeah?" James asks looking at her confused.

"I just don't get it. McGonagall would never act like that." Dee says. The laughter dies away as everyone looks away from James and Dee awkwardly.

"Yeah she does, I guess you'd have to be in Gryffindor to get it, she is a lot different when it's just us around." James says, commenting on the fact that their Head of House could sometimes get a bit cheeky with The Marauders.

"Oh so this is a Gryffindor only thing?" Dee asks angrily.

"No, no it's not like that." James says trying to cover his faux pas. "It's not always that way. It's just with us and only when she is in a good mood. Here, I bet you can appreciate this one." He says and begins to do his impersonation of Professor Roca. The others guffaw at him and Dee laughs insanely.

"Oh that is hilarious, James! Best impression I've ever seen."

"I don't know, it's good but Remus' is far better." Lily says off handedly and Beth agrees with her.

"Well I think James' is brilliant, far surpassing any others." James feels his cheeks go pink with embarrassment at this.

"I wish someone could do a good Slughorn." Mary says, trying to change the subject.

"Lily I bet you could do it considering all the extra time you spend with him." Sirius says and they all laugh at the implication.

"You and Slughorn spend a lot of time out of class together?" Dee asks interestedly.

"Only for Slug Club." Lily amends quickly. "But I don't think I can do an impression of him. I am terrible at it."

"Well, no one expects you to be as good as James." Dee says.

"Right, well, Dee do you want to go for a walk?" James asks quickly, because he is sure his friends aren't enjoying her company.

"Sure Jamesy. Let me go grab my cloak." She says excitedly getting up from the table.

"She is mental if she doesn't think that impression is funny, Moony." Peter says as soon as she is out of earshot.

"She isn't mental, she just didn't get it. She has never seen McGonagall around us like that."

"Everyone has seen McGonagall go off you two, it happens twice a week." Mary says. James had to give her that.

"Yeah, sorry Moony. I think it's good anyway."

"It's no big deal. I almost made Lily shoot pudding from her nose, that's good enough for me." Everyone erupts in laughter, including Lily.

"See you guys later." James calls to them as he goes out into the Entrance Hall to meet Dee for their walk.

"What's with little goody-good and her friends hanging around all the sudden?" Dee asks as they walk around the lake.

"What? Do you mean Mary, Lily and Beth?"

"Of course that's who I mean."

"I dunno. We're in the same house. We spend a lot of time together. Mary has always been a good friend of mine, known her for ages." James doesn't really know why this year after all this time they all started to spend so much time together, but he likes it.

"I know what it is!" Dee says suddenly as if she's solved a mystery.

"What?"

"Evans likes Remus doesn't she? That's why she's been hanging around so much!"

James stops for a moment. _She thinks that Lily likes Remus? Was there some sort of indication of this that only girls notice? Does Beth know about it? Everyone knows that Beth likes Remus. I even told Lily that Remus likes Beth. Why would she like a bloke that she knows likes her friend, or even worse, that her friend likes back? _

"You really think so? Why?" James asks trying to act like he doesn't really care.

"It's the only explanation as to why she wants to hang out with you guys now, unless she thinks that it will suddenly make her popular."

"Lily would never date someone just to be popular." James tells her.

"Oh come on James, she used to hate you guys and now she is tagging along wherever you go. She just wants to be popular like us and she thinks that if she can convince Remus to date her then she will be." James hadn't missed the use of the word '_us' _but he decides to let it go.

"But why would she go after Remus? Why not one of the rest of us?" James asks, knowing that there was no way Dee's theory could be correct but interested in how girl's minds work.

"Well, she wouldn't try to tame Sirius, she knows better. Many have tried, all have failed. But Remus, he would be the perfect candidate. They are both Prefects, she can act like they fell in love while patrolling together. Oh she is good."

"Why not Peter?"

Dee scoffs at this question. "Be reasonable, James. You and I both know that would be last resort stuff there. Besides, Lily is kind of pretty isn't she? You've said so yourself. So if she started dating Peter then everyone would know she is just dating a Marauder to get popular." She explains as if it were obvious.

"Well, what about me?" James asks and Dee looks at him as if he were mad.

"Now you are just asking silly questions. She would never try to go after you."

"Because I have a girlfriend?"

"Well that. And because she hates you." Dee says as if it were obvious. James feels his heart sink into his stomach at this.

"What do you mean?"

"You know she hates you, she always is yelling at you. She's never tried to keep her dislike for you secret has she?"

James has to agree with that, Lily had told him several times she couldn't stand him, but she had apologized for that. _She doesn't hate me anymore. We get along fine now that she's been hanging around us more._

"Besides, she knows that she could never come between us, we are far too perfect of a couple to even try." Dee adds.

James gives her a small smile but his mind is still reeling. "So what you are saying is that Lily couldn't date Peter because she is too pretty for him, but she can date Remus or Sirius because they are in her league?"

"Well not exactly. Lily is pretty but not popular at all, so she can get guys like Remus or Ezra Diggory or maybe even Todd Selwyn." Dee says naming the current Head Boy and the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain respectively. "But she couldn't ever get someone as popular as you or Sirius. Now, Peter could swing someone reasonably pretty like Cait or Nat," Dee says talking about her two best friends, "just because he is popular. But without you three he would be stuck with Regina Bulstrode and some fourth years. Remus can get girls like Lily or Beth and maybe even someone like Tiana."

"Tiana Daxter? The Hufflepuff seventh year?"

"Yes, because not only is she pretty and popular, she is also book smart. Actually, they would be perfect together. I should hook them up."

James thinks about that for a moment and decides Dee does have a point. Tiana and Remus would be good together, if it weren't for the fact that both Remus and Beth like each other.

"So what you're saying is that Remus can get any girl he wants?"

"Almost, but not quite. You or Sirius could get any girl you want, because you are both hot and popular and come from wealthy families. Remus lacks the good breeding you see? So, in short, only certain girls would be worthy to date you or Sirius. But we all know Sirius will date anything with a skirt, so he is kind of the anomaly."

James' head is spinning. He regrets ever asking her to explain. Girls' minds are baffling.

"That is completely mental." He tells her.

"It's not. Pay attention. Have you or Remus or Sirius ever dated an ugly girl who isn't popular? No. Has Peter ever dated a pretty girl who is popular? No. See?" She says as if this makes all the sense in the world.

"Peter dated Vicky for a few weeks last year." James qualifies.

"That doesn't count because you set him up with her. She only dated him because she thought it would get her in good with you, as if she could ever be in your league." Dee says scornfully. James feels like his brain is going to explode.

"Remind me again why I asked about this?" He says.

"I was trying to explain to you why Lily is hanging around you guys. But she is never going to date a Marauder. Especially not once I introduce Remus to Tiana. Unless she does want to try and date Sirius." She chuckles. James doesn't know how to react.

He can't care less about who is in league to date whom, but he does care if Lily likes Remus or Sirius. He knows he shouldn't be upset or jealous. He has a girlfriend and he knows neither of his friends would ever do that to him. Yet, the thought of Lily dating either of them doesn't sit well with him at all. If fact, he finds himself wanting to have a word with his mates.

"They will never date her." James tells Dee almost harshly.

"Yeah, that's what I am saying. Remus will be with Tiana and Lily isn't good enough for Sirius." Dee agrees.

James is taken aback by her words, forgetting exactly what he had agreed to. He hurries to cover his mistake.

"No, not that, they wouldn't date her because she is their friend and they know they'll just end up hurting her."

"You never know, Evans might be just what Sirius needs to settle down."

James' insides squirm unpleasantly. He wishes she would stop talking about this, but it seems to be extremely interesting to her.

"I doubt that."

"Yeah, but you know what? She has always had the pity date thing going for her. Remember how many people admired her when she used to hang out with Snape because she pitied him. Maybe she is after Peter for the pity thing and that's how she plans on getting her popularity."

James feels like screaming at Dee to shut up. She is making him feel worse every time she speaks. Now the image of Peter snogging Lily is scorched into his brain. James knows that Remus and Sirius would never date Lily but Peter… he was a whole other story. He would date anyone who was willing.

"Oh you know what!" Dee says excitedly. James gives a start. He had almost forgotten that he is standing with Dee, so immersed in unpleasant images of Lily and Peter he was.

"What?" He asks hoping that she doesn't continue on with the Peter/Lily romance.

"I bet that Evans is only hanging out with you guys to hide the fact that she is really dating Professor Slughorn." Dee says bouncing up and down at this freshest piece of gossip.

"What?!" James asks completely distracted by this ridiculous accusation.

"Oh come on, don't pretend you don't know. Sirius obviously knows! Didn't you hear what he said? She spends loads of time with him outside of class."

"Yeah, in Slug Club." James tells her.

"Slug Club my arse."

"No, really, it's because of Slug Club and I doubt they are ever alone."

"I bet they are secretly hooking up." Dee continues ignoring him. "That is why she planted herself in with you guys, to make it look like she is just trying to be popular. Oh this is the best gossip I have heard in years."

"But you didn't hear it, you just made it up!" James protests.

"Hush James, I'm thinking." She says putting a hand over his mouth. "It all makes sense. Slughorn doesn't have a wife and Evans has never had a boyfriend."

"She's had boyfriends." James says, thinking back to when Lily went on a date with a Hufflepuff in fourth year or when she dated that Ravenclaw last year. Or all the time she used to spend with Snivelly that James isn't completely convinced was platonic.

"Not a real boyfriend though, just a few cover-up dates. Snape was her biggest cover, but he must have found out and that's why they stopped hanging around her. I wonder if we could get him to tell us the truth."

"They stopping being friends because Snape's a grimy, prejudice git. Not because Lily has some secret love affair she's trying to hush up." James says exasperatedly. He doesn't want Dee starting any rumors about Lily that would upset her or tarnish her impeccable reputation.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know. Believe me, The Marauder's would know if a teacher was dating a student." James tells her as if it were obvious.

And in fact, they would. The map would have revealed any scandalous relationships long ago, especially between Lily and Slughorn. James watches Lily on the map far more often then he'd care to admit.

"I suppose that's true. I expect if any teacher/student relationship existed it would be Sirius and Roca." James laughs as he thinks about the uptight Defense teacher who _is_ rather pretty.

"Yeah, I think that would be more likely than Slughorn and Lily, but still doubtful."

Dee finally seems to become uninterested with Lily's motives and talk turns to her brother, who she is upset with for some reason. James doesn't pay much attention to her as she babbles on, he is lost in thought about Lily and who she may or may not like and what her real motives for hanging around them are.

As he walks back up to Gryffindor Tower that night he decides that Lily doesn't have ulterior motives in hanging around them. She, at the very least, likes hanging around Mary and Beth, who like to hang out with The Marauders. She doesn't want anything from them and definitely isn't trying to cover anything up.

-L-3-J-

Winter break is quickly approaching and The Marauders want to do one last big stunt before the end of term. They sit around the dinner table and begin to tell the girls about their plans for their Snowball Fight Extravaganza.

"That sounds really fun!" Mary says excitedly.

"It's a good way to blow off some end of term steam too." Lily agrees.

"Is it going to be everyone?" Beth asks.

"Anyone who wants to can join in." Remus confirms.

"What do you need from us?" Lily asks.

"Well," James says handing her a piece of paper. "We need you to tape these up around the castle. We made them so that no one over the age of eighteen can read them, so don't worry about getting caught pinning them up. The teachers will think you are looking for your lost notebooks." Lily beams at him.

"This is brilliant, I swear if you four put as much effort into schoolwork as you do into your pranks then you would be teaching the lessons." Mary says looking at the paper.

Just then Dee walks up behind him. "Well, well Mr. Potter, what are you up too?" She asks placing a hand on his shoulder.

James turns in his seat to look innocently up at her. "Hey Dee." He says smiling.

"Want to go for a walk?" She asks.

"Sure. See you guys later." He says standing and following her out of the hall. _Did Lily look disappointed? _He wonders but shakes his head quickly. _Nah, she is probably just upset because Sirius ate the last of the pudding._

Dee grabs his hand as she leads him to an unused classroom on the first floor.

"That wasn't much of a walk." James comments as Dee closes the door behind them.

"It wasn't the walk I was after." She says, moving in closer.

James has always enjoyed snogging Dee, but lately it seems more of a chore than anything else. He breaks away quickly and asks, "So, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"Well," she starts putting her hands on her hips, "I was expecting you to ask me sooner, it is the last week of term after all! But, I would love to come home with you and meet your family."

James realizes his mistake too late. He hadn't been inviting her home at all. He merely wanted to distract her. Now he has to think of an excuse for her _not_ to come home with him. _Shit!_

"Oh, no Dee, sorry, I thought I had told you, my parents are taking Sirius and me to France for winter break. My cousin lives there." He lies quickly, well, not a complete lie. He does have a cousin that lives in France but they have never, nor does James think they will ever, go visit him and his family. James' mum and his cousin's wife don't get on too well.

Dee's face falls in disappointment. "Oh, I thought you were asking me to join you."

"Sorry, I hadn't realized. I can be a real dolt sometimes." He says giving her a reassuring smile.

After another snog session James heads back to Gryffindor Tower.

_Why don't I want Dee to meet my parents? _He wonders to himself. _She's nice enough, although slightly dense. She seems to care more about who's dating whom than she does about her lessons. And she always is complimenting me, no matter what. Whether it's Quidditch, grades, dancing, or even just a clever joke, she always seems to think I'm the greatest at it._

James can't understand his own thoughts. He used to love these things about Dee. It's one of things that attracted him to her in the first place. He loved all that attention, now he finds it over-the-top and annoying. _And that voice. _He adds mentally. _It could drive any bloke mad._

James climbs through the portrait hole looking for any of his friends, hoping for a distraction. He doesn't spot anyone but Lily, who is sitting in a chair by the fire. He walks over and drops into the seat across from her. She looks up from her textbook and smiles.

"How was your walk?" She asks.

"Didn't do much walking." He admits watching her eyebrow raise. "Because she wanted to talk." He qualifies.

"Ah, and what did she want to talk about? How amazingly you place one foot in front of the other?" Lily asks, sarcasm dripping from her words. James looks at her shocked. He hadn't realized that it was apparent to the others that Dee compliments him too much.

"No, she wanted to know why I didn't invite her for Christmas." James tells her. He feels slightly awkward discussing this with Lily. He usually talks about these things with Remus or Sirius, or if he is desperate, Mary.

"Weren't you?" She asks her smile faltering. "I mean, you have been going out for months." She adds fairly.

"Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it. I've never brought a girl home to meet my parents before."

"And you don't want Dee to be the first." It isn't really a question, but he can tell it requires a response.

"No. I don't think my mum would like her much, to tell you the truth." _Why am I telling her this?_

"Well, your mum seems like a smart woman to me. I can't even fathom what you see in her. I mean that laugh alone." She says and shivers. "Well, it's not my place, but if you don't think your mum would like her, then I think you made the right decision not to ask her."

James nods. "I suppose. Where are the others?" He asks trying to change the subject.

"They are hanging up flyers like you asked. Remus and I are going to do ours when we patrol tonight." She tells him.

"Where's Moony then?" He asks looking around the room for his friend.

"He said he would hang up your flyers for you. But if you ask me he just wanted the alone time with Beth. Probably wants to know why she has been hanging around Abercrombie for the last few weeks." She says wisely.

James thinks she is probably right because he hadn't given himself any flyers to hang up.

"Why has she been hanging around Johnny?" James asks.

He likes Johnny Abercrombie. He is a seventh year and is one a hell of a Keeper. James will be sorry to see him leave the team at the end of the year.

"They have been dating since the Ravenclaw and Slytherin match a few weeks ago. They went to spy together." Lily tells him wisely.

"What? I thought she liked Moony?" He asks outraged.

"She does. I think this is all to make him jealous." She says knowingly.

James just nods as he ponders the madness of girls.

-L-3-J-

James stands in the Entrance Hall at seven o'clock the next day with Sirius, Remus and Peter at his side.

"Ready?" James asks as he looks around at all the other students all bundled up in their warmest winter wear.

"Ready!" They chorus back.

James smirks and The Marauders conjure up handfuls of snow.

"Let this Snowball Fight Extravaganza Begin!" He shouts and pelts a ball of the white fluff directly at Sirius. He in return receives a snowball to the head and soon the whole hall is full of flying balls of snow.

It isn't long before the fight has expanded into the Great Hall and up the Marble Staircase and down into the dungeons and, crazily enough, out onto the grounds.

James is holding court at the top of the Marble Stairs with Sirius and they laugh as they continually pelt the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, Joe Stebbins, with snowball after snowball. A rush of cold hits James' cheek as he feels a snowball collide with him. He turns to see Lily and Mary laughing uproariously behind them.

"Oy, get over here or you'll give away our location!" He says and they hurry over to them.

The four of them continue to go unnoticed in their hiding spot until they are unable to conjure any more snow.

"Hey, what's going on?" They hear someone shout from the Great Hall. And it is Professor McGonagall's magically magnified voice that answers them.

"Stop throwing snowballs immediately!" She roars. "James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew make your way to my office at once, all other students please return to your Common Rooms straightaway."

"How'd she know it was you?!" Lily asks astonished.

"Who else would it be?" Sirius answers.

"And, we set it up so that all that all the Heads of House's would have mini snowball fights in their offices. McGonagall's bookshelves will have been going at each other." James tells her.

"Slughorn's cauldrons." Sirius says.

"Flitwick's books." Remus adds joining them at the top of the stairs.

"And Sprout's sprouts." Peter finishes.

"You guys are seriously brilliant." Beth says.

"We know." The Marauders say in unison.

They split from the girls as they head to McGonagall's office. They are about to knock on her door when they hear several voices inside it. It sounds as if not only McGonagall is in there but Sprout, Flitwick, Slughorn and Dumbledore as well; all the Heads. Remus knocks hesitantly.

"Get in here you buffoons." McGonagall calls and they enter. "Sit down." She says pointing to the arm chairs closest to the fire.

James can see that McGonagall must have caught on early to the prank for none of her belongings look soaked. They keep very quiet as they wait for their punishment. Dumbledore stands and James holds his breath.

"I must say I am rather disappointed in all of you." He says looking between the four of them and they all hang their heads in the way that they had taught themselves so that they looked ashamed.

"I didn't get a single snowball flung at me." He says and all four boys snap their heads up to stare at their Headmaster.

"You wha –" Sirius asks.

"I would have loved to be involved in a school wide snowball fight, but it seems I was not invited. This is why I had to cease all snowballs from being thrown."

James looks round to see if this was some sort of joke. They had just made a mess of the castle and Dumbledore is complaining because he was left out of the fun?

"We're sorry Professor. We didn't realize you would like to join us." James tells him and Dumbledore smiles at them.

"Boys, you have pulled some very unusual and disruptive stunts on this castle over the years I must say, but this was one of your best." He says. James has to be hearing things. Right?

"Thank you, Sir." Sirius says proudly.

"Don't you want to know why I feel this is one of your best stunts?" Dumbledore asks.

"Of course, Sir. Why do you feel this is one of our best pranks?" Remus asks.

"Thank you, Mr. Lupin. I feel that this is one of the best because, unlike most of your other pranks, this one was not targeted at a specific person or group of people. It was something that everyone could participate in and enjoy, except for myself apparently. In any case, it was nice to see the whole school united in such a way." Dumbledore says.

James can hardly believe this, are they about to get away scot-free after orchestrating a school wide _indoor_ snowball fight?

"That having been said I must now deliver your punishments."

_That's more like it._ James thinks.

"Each of you will receive a detention starting right away. Mr. Pettigrew I would like you to follow Professor Sprout and help her clean up her office. Mr. Lupin, please follow Professor Slughorn, Mr. Potter please help out Professor Flitwick and Mr. Black I would like you to stay here and help out Professor McGonagall with her office. When each of the Professors areas are back to the way they like it you will then report to Mr. Filch and help him clean up the castle." Dumbledore says.

"Yes Sir." The Marauders chorus.

"After the castle is clean and dry once again then you will be considered sufficiently punished and may return to your common room." Dumbledore says. "I will also be awarding Gryffindor House twenty points, for encouraging inter-house unity, which is a goal I strive for daily." He says.

James is astonished. _They get twenty points for a snowball fight? Dumbledore really is going off his rocker._

"Well, I think that is all, have a good evening all." Dumbledore finishes and leaves the office.

James and the others start to clean and dry the castle properly, which he thinks is a fair trade for the fun that was had this evening, especially because they got the additional twenty points.

* * *

As the Hogwarts Express rolls to a stop at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters Lily follows The Marauders, Mary and Beth out of their compartment and onto the platform. She sees her father standing near the barrier looking out at all the people as he waits for her. She waves goodbye to her friends and walks over to him.

"Hi, daddy." She greets him with a hug.

"Hi, Lily Belle. How are you sweetheart?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Good. Glad to see you made some new friends." He says nodding over to where The Marauders stand saying their goodbyes.

"Me too." She mutters as the head for the car.

"Your mum and I have always thought you deserved better friends than that Snape boy. He just seemed… untrustworthy."

_You have no idea._ Lily thinks.

The ride home is enjoyable. Lily has always loved the way London looks covered in snow.

When they pull into their driveway Lily's mother comes outside to greet her. She gives her a big hug and ushers her into the kitchen for a cup of cocoa. Lily begins filling her mum in on how school is going when she hears Petunia rush down the stairs. Lily holds her breath. She hasn't come face-to-face with Petunia since their last blow-up over the summer.

"Well? Did you tell her yet?" She asks impatiently.

"No, she just got in the door, Tuney. I was just about to tell her." Her mother says.

"Tell me what?" Lily asks curiously.

"Lily dear, we have some wonderful news." Her mother says, her face lighting up.

"Vernon has asked me to marry him!" Petunia blurts out and shoves her hand in Lily's face showing her the rather gaudy diamond ring in her finger.

Lily tries very hard to control her features as to not give away her true emotions. "Wow. That's… wonderful." She chokes out.

Petunia, not catching on to Lily's fake excitement, sits down across from her at the table and starts gushing over the wedding details. Lily is shocked and excited at the change in her sister. It is as if the summer had never happened. _She finally accepts me for me. _ She thinks ecstatically. _So what if I think she can do better? If this is what it takes for us to get along again, I am all for it. At least she is happy._

"We are thinking middle to end of September. Both Vernon and I love the autumn and the leaves will be just perfect for pictures." Petunia gushes and shows Lily pictures from a bridal magazine.

Lily sits with her sister looking over wedding details all night and much of the next few days. She doesn't think she could be any happier. She should have known that it wouldn't last.

On Christmas Eve Vernon joins them for dinner. Lily knows that he was told of her abilities over the summer. In an effort to make him feel more comfortable with them, she decides to be on her best behavior. But it isn't enough. Vernon, it turns out, is not alright with her being a witch. He sat on the edge of his chair all night, eyes continually darting to Lily and them away again as if she was about to burst into flames where she sat. Anytime Lily would make a sudden movement he would jump as if she were going to hurt him.

Lily overhears Vernon talking to Petunia as she walks him to the door. She hears him telling her that he doesn't feel comfortable when she, Lily, is in the room. This thoroughly annoys Lily. She can only hope that this viewpoint won't be re-adopted by her sister. She doesn't know if she can handle things going back to the way they had been over the summer.

Lily wakes early on Christmas morning and the first thing she sees is a large pile of presents from the wizarding world. Smiling she decides not to open them just yet and heads downstairs to celebrate with her family first.

* * *

James wakes on Christmas morning the same way he has for the last three years, to Sirius jumping on his bed. James throws a pillow at his friend, who dodges and lands catlike on the floor.

"Hurry up mate or I will have to hex you!" Sirius calls as he exits the room to go and wake James' parents. Sirius, having turned seventeen in the last fortnight, can now do magic freely, and he refuses to let James forget it.

James climbs out of bed and walks over to his desk. He jots down a quick note and sends it off with Hamlet before heading downstairs. Sirius arrives at the same time dragging their parents behind him and they all gather around the tree. Sirius passes out the gifts with enthusiasm.

James unwraps several very nice gifts from his parents before he reveals a new Broomstick Servicing kit from The Marauders. He opens Mary and Beth's gift of a large box of Honeyduke's chocolates. His mother immediately seizes the box to hunt for her favorites.

James looks down at Dee's present and frowns. It's a red jumper with a yellow lion stitched on the front and in the lion's arms is a black badger. Under the picture was the inscription "J & D".

James tries to hide the hideous piece of clothing but Sirius snatches it from him and roars with laughter. Tears begin to fall from his eyes from all his laughter.

"Shut it." James says grabbing the jumper and tossing it into its box disgustedly. _How could she possibly think he would ever wear that?_

James has only one gift left in his pile and he can't imagine who it could be from. He already opened his presents from his parents, The Marauders, Mary and Beth, and Dee's gift, if you could call it that. _Who could this be from?_

He turns the box over and to his astonishment sees it's from Lily. This is the first time she has ever gotten him something, ever. He unwraps the package carefully, as if treasuring every second.

James smiles as he pulls out a new pair of very nice leather Quidditch gloves. They are scarlet and gold with the Gryffindor lion on the front. James examines their stitching and coloring. They look to be top of the line. _Good thing too. I need a new pair._

He notices a note at the bottom of the box and unfolds it.

**James,**

**I noticed your old gloves were a bit worn. Hope you like these.**

– **Lily**

James stares at the parchment smiling. Sirius wrestles the note from him and laughs.

"Uh oh Prongs, looks like Miss Evans is finally noticing you. Does this mean you'll start acting like a prat again?" James punches him on the shoulder.

"Who's that for then?" Sirius asks staring at the large bag under the tree that has no name on it.

"It's for you, Sirie darling." Their mum says and Sirius' face lights up.

James knows that his friend would never mention it but he is slightly disappointed by his presents this year. Every year other year since James had met him Sirius would get lavish presents from James' parents.

Sirius digs in the bag excitedly to find that it is empty except for a small brochure.

"Uh... thanks mum." Sirius says looking up at her confused.

"This is a Christmas and your boxing day present." She explains and he still looks confused.

"I don't get it." He says. James laughs at this, being in on the joke he knows what the brochure means.

"You get to pick which bike from the brochure you want and I will take you into Muggle London on Tuesday to pick it up." Their dad says.

"Wha – Seriously!? You are getting me a motorbike?" He asks.

"Seriously, Sirius." James laughs at the far overused joke.

Sirius hugs both his surrogate parents in turn and thanks them profusely.

After a Christmas tea that consists of Sirius and Mr. Potter deciding on which bike Sirius should get and James and Mrs. Potter lamenting over how this may not have been such a good idea after all, James and Sirius go out to the Potter's Quidditch Pitch to play with the new Quidditch set their parents had bought them.

All-in-all James has to admit it has been a pretty wonderful Christmas.

* * *

Lily is extremely glad that she saved her presents from the wizarding world to open later. She needs something to cheer her up after the awful Christmas tea she just had.

Petunia had chucked her and Vernon's gift of Honeyduke's finest chocolates into the fire, screeching that they didn't want to touch her 'freak sweets'. Then they had left to go to Vernon's parents. Lily is glad they left. She doesn't think she could have dealt with them any longer.

Sitting cross-legged on her bed she begins to open her presents, feeling her cheerfulness rise with every tear of the Christmas paper.

The first gift she picks up is from Beth and Mary. She reads the note quickly and smiles as the new bottle green dress robes she had been eyeing for months fall out onto her bed. Lily begins planning in her head what shoes to wear with them before she realizes she won't be able to wear them until an occasion arises in the wizarding world. As all the parties she will be attending in the next fortnight will be strictly Muggle attire.

Frowning slightly she continues on.

A box of sweets and a "Zonko's Starter Kit" as Sirius calls it from The Marauders. Just in case she wanted to start any mischief, or so the note says.

Finally there was one gift left. Lily looks at the clumsily wrapped present and sighs. It will be from James, and if past years have taught her anything, it will be rather lurid and obnoxious. Like the year he had given her the two singing angels that followed her around for days, Petunia nearly ripped her hair out. Or the year before, with the snowman who melted into a giant heart at the end of the Christmas holidays.

But, this package looks relatively harmless, so she unwraps it and reads the note.

**Lily,**

**I couldn't think of anything to get you, then I remembered how you always complain that 'pens' are far easier to use than quills. I hope you like it.**

– **James**

**P.S. The green matches your eyes.**

Intrigued, Lily opens the gift and sees a beautiful quill set. A gorgeous eagle feathered quill sits in the box with several different inks surrounding it. There were the normal colors such as black, blue and red, but then there's color-change, invisible, and a dazzling emerald green. _Of course James would say it matches my eyes._ Lily thinks.

She begins to read the quill's features and finds that it is a self-inking quill. You just select your ink and dip the quill in it and it will load it with enough ink to last a week. Lily smiles wide at it. She had spotted this same quill set in Scrivenshaft's just a few weeks before but after seeing how much a luxury like this costs, decided against buying it. It truly is an amazing gift, not to mention thoughtful. James must be paying more attention to her than she had realized.

Just then a tawny owl taps at her window. She crosses her small bedroom and lets the bird in. It flutters to her desk and she smiles as it ruffles its feathers. This vaguely reminds her of something that she can't quite place.

Removing the small square piece of parchment from the owl's legs she motions for it to help itself to Oscar's water dish. It obliges happily and Lily smiles as she reads the four words written on the parchment.

**Happy Christmas, Lily**

– **James**

Lily grabs a piece of spare parchment and picks up her new quill. Loading it with the emerald green ink writes three words in response.

**Happy Christmas, James**

The tawny owl flies back over to her and ruffles its feathers again. She realizes then what it reminds her of. The way it ruffles its feathers bears a striking resemblance to the way its owner ruffles his hair whenever Lily is around. She laughs lightly as she attaches the note back to the tawny owl and sends him back through her window.

Collapsing on her bed she rereads each letter from Beth and Mary detailing their breaks so far.

_All-in-all, _Lily thinks, _not too shabby of a Christmas._

* * *

**A/N – I enjoy reviews, even from those of you who have already reviewed (twice) :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N – Here you are. **** :)**

_Thoughts will be in italics.  
__**The brain replying to thoughts will be in bold italics.**_

* * *

As the new term begins, James starts to get bored with life again. He can hardly wait for the next night, adventure, danger, excitement – full moon.

He begins planning out their route in his head when Remus nudges him from his left. His head shoots up and quickly finds the meaning of his friends nudge. Professor McGonagall had obviously just asked him a question and was giving him a piercing glare waiting for his answer. The only problem is James didn't hear the question.

"Uh, the Animagus Transformation?" James guesses with the first thing to come to his mind.

His fellow students giggle and James sees Lily roll her eyes at him and McGonagall's lips thin.

"Interesting Mr. Potter, you believe that the answer to 'Are you paying attention Mr. Potter?' is the Animagus Transformation?" She asks him as the students erupt in fresh waves of laughter.

James knows when he can match his Head of House cheek for cheek, but this is not one of those times.

"Sorry, Professor." He says giving her an apologetic smile. She nods at him.

"See me after class, please." James nods in assent.

After being set extra homework James heads down to the Great Hall to join his friends for dinner. The homework would be a piece of cake, but he still would rather be doing other things. James plops himself down next to Remus and sees Sirius further up the table chatting up the Gryffindor seventh year girls.

"Where's Wormy?" James asks Remus.

"Owlery, it's his mum's birthday and he forgot to send her a present."

James grumbles some sort of acknowledgement as he piles food onto his plate. Lily, Mary and Beth join them then and James is too distracted by his meal to ask where they've been.

"Hi, Jamesy." Dee says from behind him sitting down on his free side planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Hi." James says greeting her with a mouth full, feeling slightly guilty that he hasn't seen her before now.

"Did you miss me over break? Wouldn't know it as I didn't receive a single letter." She says pouting.

James sees Lily and Beth exchange curious looks out of the corner of his eye. Sirius snorts as he rejoins them taking the empty seat next to Lily.

"I know, sorry, I was really busy." He begins.

"I know, I know." She says dismissively then turning to Sirius asks, "How did you like France?"

_Shit, I forgot to tell Padfoot! _ James thinks panicking.

"I didn't go to France. I went to home." Sirius says looking at James in confusion.

Catching his friend's expression Sirius turns to the others. "Fancy going back to the common room?" He asks. The others agree immediately and they flee from the table and the awkwardness as quickly as possible.

"Let's go talk somewhere more private." He suggests looking back at his hardly touched food sadly as she leads him to an unused classroom. Trying to figure out a way out of this new predicament James thinks bitterly, _what a great way to start the new term._

* * *

Lily sits at dinner, the Monday before the first Hogsmeade trip of the New Year, with Beth.

"You know how I told you about my brother's friend I met over the holiday?" Beth asks excitedly.

"Yes." Lily says remembering the conversation on the first night back where Beth gushed for hours about how cute this Barry is and how he wasn't too shy to ask her out, and that he was a real man. Obvious digs at Remus, who everyone had been expecting to ask her out for months now.

"Well, Barry said he is coming to Hogsmeade this weekend to meet me." She says excitedly.

Lily smiles at her friend. "That's great Beth! You will have a brilliant time."

Lily is trying to sound enthusiastic but she isn't sure it's coming off that way. She is really excited for her friend, but she can't help thinking how she will be all alone for the Hogsmeade trip. Mary has already got a date lined up and she figures The Marauders will have their own plans.

Sure, Potter had asked her to go with him on every Hogsmeade trip since their third year, and she had been on a few dates here and there, but she wants what Beth now has, a guy she can depend on. She wants to not have to worry about her plans for the Hogsmeade trips because she knows her boyfriend will take her.

"Don't worry Lily, you are gorgeous. I am sure someone will ask you before the weekend." Beth says reassuringly correctly guessing her friends mood. And as it turns out, Beth is quite right.

By Friday afternoon Lily had been asked out by five different guys, a Ravenclaw seventh year, a Hufflepuff fifth and seventh year, and a Gryffindor third year. _Merlin, Gryffindors sure are brave._

But she finally accepted an invitation from Todd Selwyn, a Ravenclaw Prefect in her year. He is tall and thin, with short light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He had caught up with her after Charms and after pulling her away from her group of friends had asked her shyly if she would like to join him in Hogsmeade.

Lily accepted eagerly and walked away smiling, thinking, _what a great way to start the new term._

* * *

James leaves the castle Saturday morning with Dee on his arm. She looks rather sulky and he knows she is still upset over his lie about Christmas.

He could see Peter walking ahead of them with a girl he doesn't know and he almost sighs. This will mean that there would be no escape from today's date with Dee. Sirius, Remus, Mary, Beth and, to his own slight jealousy, Lily all have dates they seem excited about.

Dee begins to speak and James has to put in a great deal of effort to listen to her.

"You are lucky I still even talk to you after all you've put me through." She says. James apologizes again but can't help but think, _sure, you complain, but here you are still on my arm_.

As they walk down the winding path to the village he can't help but notice the way her eyes wander to other guys, sizing them up like. He isn't worried though. He knows she likes to gossip, she is probably just making mental notes of who is dating whom so that she can run back to her group of annoying friends and dish on what she saw.

Once they get into the village Dee drags him to Madam Puddifoot's and he doesn't complain. He owes her this at least. They sit at a small table and order some coffee. James looks around to see if he recognizes any of the other poor blokes whose girlfriends dragged them in here. He sees Mary sitting a few tables away snogging the life out of Dennis Abbott, Dee's twin brother. Dee turns to see what he is looking at.

"Ewe, what he even sees in her is beyond me." She says disgustedly.

"I like Mary." James says. "She is really cool." Dee raises her eyebrows at him.

"Oh really? Then why didn't you ask her out and not me?" It takes nearly a full minute for him to realize that Dee is jealous at his comment.

"No, no it's not like that, Dee. I have known Mary for ages. She is like a little sister to me." He explains. She doesn't look completely convinced.

"Good, for a minute there I was questioning your taste. But if it's a pity thing, I get it."

The voice in James' head is shouting at him to let it go, but he can't. He has to defend Mary. He doesn't know why, but he does.

"I don't like her because I pity her. She is a really cool person and she gets on well with all my mates, I really care for her like you would for Dennis." He says not exactly hiding his anger.

"You can't compare that hag to my brother." She says, her temper also rising.

"She is not a hag, and obviously your brother doesn't think she is either as he is snogging her!" James half shouts. He notices, out of the corner of his eye, Mary and Dennis break apart.

"James Potter, you apologize for yelling at me and making a scene is such a romantic place!" Dee says standing up and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I will when you apologize for insulting one of my oldest friends." He says also rising from his seat.

Dee glares at him furiously, "I want you to walk me back to the castle this instant." She demands.

"Fine by me." He says and throws some money down on the table and follows her out onto the road.

As he walks slightly behind Dee, he watches Lily walking with Selwyn, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. She looks up at him and smiles and James feels something in his stomach turn. He kicks a stone across the sidewalk. He doesn't like seeing Lily with that prat. _It's only because you want to protect her. Just like Mary._ He tries to convince himself.

"Are you prepared to apologize now?" Dee asks over her shoulder when they enter the Hogwarts grounds.

"Stop this Dee, you are being childish." He says and she stops and turns to face him.

"Childish? CHILDISH?" She screams. "It is not _childish_ that I am angry that you told me how wonderful some other girl is while we are sharing a romantic day." She says in an eerily calm voice.

"You know Mary is just a friend, you know we have known each other for ages. Why are you suddenly acting like that's different, that something has changed?" He says trying to figure out the inner workings of this girl's mind.

"It's different since she began snogging my brother!"

"So I'm not allowed to be her friend because she wants to date your brother?"

"No! You are supposed to support me in hating her!" She shouts at him.

"That's completely mental!" He says trying to make her see sense.

"UGH! You will never understand!" She shrieks and runs off again.

James considers running after her for a moment. He can catch her if he really wants to, she isn't that fast. But, he really wants to avoid another row. Instead he spots smoke coming from Hagrid's hut and decides to join the giant for a cup of tea instead of dealing with anymore madness. He will make it up to her later, once she has calmed down.

* * *

Lily can hardly believe she has been dating Todd for nearly a month, but as she packs up her stuff late one night in the library, she has to admit, time really does go faster when you are having fun.

Her first date with Todd had been brilliant. They did a little shopping then spent the rest of the time in the Three Broomsticks just chatting about each other's lives. She learned loads about his family and how he wants to join the ministry one day like his father, uncle and cousin. When he kissed her good night in the Entrance Hall Lily had felt butterflies in her stomach.

Then on her birthday, Todd had sent her flowers and had taken her for a long walk around the grounds. Her friends had even invited him to the picnic they threw her in an unused classroom.

_Things could not be any better._ Lily thinks as she walks through the empty corridors on her way to Gryffindor Tower.

She is lost in her own thoughts about her weekend plans when she hears hushed voices coming from an unused classroom ahead, the same one The Marauders had turned into a meadow for her birthday picnic.

_Who would be out this late? It's an hour after curfew. _Lily thinks.

Her prefects badge shining bright on her robes in the light of the full moon, she heads for the classroom door, intent of telling the out-of-bounds students to get back to their common room. She halts though as she recognizes the unbearable nasally voice.

"I have been thinking about this all day. I couldn't wait to meet up with you." Danielle says.

_Of course, James would be out this late. _Lily thinks.

She turns silently to walk away, knowing that this is a very private moment between James and his girlfriend. He would probably be very embarrassed if he knew she overheard. But Lily stops as she hears the voice that replies to Danielle.

It is not the deep, sweet voice that Lily has come to know as James Potter. This voice is slightly high-pitched and the Irish accent cannot be ignored. Lily stands frozen torn between curiosity and the feeling that this is none of her business. Curiosity wins the battle, as it so often does, and she moves closer to the door to listen.

"I told you before. I can't take you to Slughorn's party with me. I have to go with James to the stupid Valentine's Day bash. You know I'd rather go with you, but I can't." Danielle says.

"Why are you even still with that arse, he obviously doesn't appreciate you like he should."

"James has certain... assets that I am extremely interested in."

"He's rich then." The boy surmises.

"That, and he has good connections. He can get me far when we get out of here, set me up for life."

"So you are just using him then? You don't really want to be with him?" The voice asks sounding concerned.

"Of course I don't. The only one I want to be with is you. But until I get what I need from James, I have to keep up appearances."

"Good." is the only reply Lily can make out before the snogging begins.

Thinking she has heard everything of worth from these two Lily retreats quietly. When she is sure she is in the clear she walks at a normal pace all the while her mind reeling. _Poor James._

A year ago, Lily wouldn't be concerned with this at all, sure she would still think Danielle is a horrible person, but it wouldn't have been her problem. It would have been an issue for someone else to deal with. But this year everything is different. She and James are friends now and a true friend wouldn't stand by and let someone do this to their friend.

_I have to tell him. _She decides. _Damn him for maturing. If he hadn't none of this would have happened!_ A feeling of guilt rushes through her as she thinks this because she knows it isn't James' fault at all. And knowing this only proves that he isn't the only one who has changed.

Sighing deeply she prepares herself, gives the Fat Lady the password and climbs through the portrait hole to talk to James, half hoping she doesn't find him.

_What if he doesn't believe me? We aren't that good of friends. He could think that I am just playing a prank on him. _ She looks around the common room and notices right away he isn't there, none of The Marauders are. _Maybe they went to bed early? I can't wake him up for this, can I? That would be just awful. _Looking at the time she sees that is only five after ten. _There is no way they went to bed this early._

Double checking that no one is watching her she climbs the boy's staircase. Girls aren't forbidden from entering the boys dormitories, but still, it didn't make nice in the Hogwarts rumor mill when a girl is seen sneaking up the boy's stairs.

Lily chuckles softly as she reads the sign on their door. "Sixth Years" is crossed out and underneath it, it now reads "MARAUDERS".

She receives no answer to her knock and decides to peek inside. The room is empty. The beds look freshly made from the house elves and the floor still looks nice and tidy, no sign that The Marauders had been in the room at all today.

She turns around and walks back to the common room completely puzzled. She sits at a table near a window looking out at the full moon in the clear sky and tries to think where they could possibly be. _Probably out after curfew, planning some stupid prank._

It hits Lily like a wrecking ball. Full Moon. No Marauders. She is suddenly taken back to one summer day by the river with Snape.

* * *

**-Flashback-**

"Come on Lil, you honestly never wondered why he goes away EVERY month?" Severus asks her.

"If he isn't ill, as you claim, then so what? They sneak out, sure, but a werewolf, Sev? Honestly, that is just so farfetched." She says giving him a look of derision.

"All the pieces fit, Lily, you're just too stubborn to see it. I will prove it to you one day. I swear." He said and Lily had changed the subject, trying to make her friend stop talking nonsense.

**-Flashback Over-**

* * *

Lily sits staring out the window thunderstruck. _Maybe it isn't such nonsense after all._

She remembers the odd circumstances in which James had saved Severus' life the year before. How she has never received a satisfactory answer as to what happened. She let it go at the time, thinking that it was all some sort of blow out of proportion rumor, but now…

_Severus was trying to catch Remus as a werewolf and James had pulled him back before he got hurt. The Marauders must all know then. Of course they do. How couldn't they? But, Remus being a werewolf doesn't explain all of their absences._

She stands up and heads for bed, mind still reeling but knowing she won't be able to get her answers tonight. _Now I have to talk to two Marauders about two equally unpleasant things_. She thinks reluctantly.

But, if she has to choose between asking Remus if he really is a werewolf or telling James that his girlfriend is cheating on him and using him for his money and status, she would choose Remus a hundred times over. Remus, by nature, is always calm and kind. If she is wrong about the werewolf thing, he won't get too offended. James however, is much harder to predict. No telling how he will react to her news.

* * *

James wakes the morning after the full moon and has half a mind to spend the rest of the weekend just lying in bed. He had definitely been put through his paces last night and he is extremely sore. But he knows he has to get up and get ready for his date with Dee. He had promised her that he would spend all day with her. To Dee that means from the moment she wakes to the moment she is ready for bed he had better be by her side.

He stretches and grabs some clean robes and heads to the bathroom and cleans himself up quickly, deciding that he would go visit Remus before meeting up with her. James grabs a book off Remus' bedside so he will have something to do in the Hospital Wing. He looks jealously at Sirius and Peter, who are both still fast asleep. _Lucky Bastards, _he thinks as he slams the dormitory door shut behind him.

Upon entering the Hospital Wing James sees that Remus' hangings are drawn. This is strange because there's no one else in the ward. Then he notices a pair of legs sitting in the chair that he would usually occupy next to Remus' bed. _Those look like girls shoes. _He thinks confused. _Does Moony have a girlfriend he has been hiding from us?_

James approaches the bed slowly as to not make a noise, knowing it's useless. Remus would have heard him the second he entered the ward, being a werewolf does have some advantages after all. But his friend doesn't call out to him so James inches closer. The voice next to Remus' bed is extremely familiar to James but no less perplexing. It's Lily.

_What is she doing here? __She can't know. No one knows. Who cou – Snape. Snape knows, and has obviously told her. _ James thinks bitterly.

"Does it hurt?" Lily asks Remus in an almost apologetic voice.

"I will spare you the details, but yes, it does hurt."

"Always?"

"Always." He replies simply.

"I wish I could help somehow." She says in a defeated voice.

James feels a pang in his heart, not only because he knows how much just that simple sentence will mean to his friend, but also for Lily, because he had once felt the same hopelessness that she is feeling now.

"There is nothing to be done, Lily. Just the fact that you are still sitting here talking to me, not running in fright, is enough."

"People actually do that?" She asks horrified.

"That and worse. There are very few people in this world who don't."

James wants to clap his friend on the shoulder. Tell him those people don't matter. But, he knows this is a moment for Remus and Lily, he can talk to him later.

"Dumbledore?" She guesses and Remus must have nodded because she continues guessing. "Pomfrey?"

"Yes, most of the teachers are completely fine with the condition. They are rational enough to know I am not dangerous unless it is full moon, yet some still cringe when I touch them."

"That's awful!" Lily protests.

"It's life, Lily."

"Are there any students that know?" She asks after a moment of silence.

James thinks she probably already knows the answer to that, Remus obviously feels that way too. "What do you think Lily?"

"Well, I know Snape does. But, James? Or Sirius? And Peter? Do they know too?" She asks.

"Yes. They have known for quite some time."

"And they didn't run screaming?" She asks

"No, they did the opposite. They help me more than anyone ever has." He tells her calmly.

"So that's why they disappear every full moon then? To take attention off the fact you are missing. They sneak out so it looks like a Marauder thing?" James nearly drops the book he's holding. He never thought she would realize this.

"In a way…" Remus begins carefully. James knows Lily is a trustworthy person, but he doesn't think she is ready for this secret quite yet. Hoping his friend is on the same wave length as him he listens closely. "They help in whatever way they can. They are the three best friends I have ever had, and I am glad to say now that I hope to have a fourth."

James hears her get up and watches her feet walk to his bedside. _Now is a good time to make my presence known, _he thinks, and walks around the curtain.

"Moony, mate, I brought you your favorite – Oh, sorry didn't mean to interrupt anything." He says, pretending to be surprised to see Lily. She breaks the hug between her and Remus and looks up at him.

"Lily here was just checking on my wellbeing." Remus says with a meaningful look that tells James he knows he listened in.

"Ah, then I trust you know all about Moony here."

She smiles at him, comprehension dawning on her face. "You know, that nickname finally makes sense to me. Moony. Very clever."

Remus chuckles. "Hear that Prongs, she thinks Moony is clever."

"Wormtail'll be pleased." James laughs.

"Prongs huh… So what does that mean, then?" She asks curiously. Remus chokes on the piece of toast he had just bit into and goes into a coughing fit. James thumps him on the back and smiles at Lily.

"You know Lily," he begins, "one day, we may just tell you."

She gives him an annoyed sort of look, but seems to know he isn't going to tell her today. Her face suddenly falls into an unreadable expression as she looks him in the eye. "Can I talk to you for a moment James… in private?" She asks.

James is flabbergasted. Lily has never asked to speak to him in private before. He looks over at Remus whose face reflects the puzzled expression that is surely on James' face and shrugs.

James glances at his watch and sighs. "Actually Lily, I can't. I'm supposed to meet Dee in about five minutes. I can't be late, she'll be furious. Can we talk later?"

A flicker of embarrassment flashes across her face as she says, "Uh, sure, no problem. I have to meet Todd soon anyway."

James waves goodbye to Remus as he leaves telling him that Sirius and Peter would be up later. On his way to meet Dee he ponders what on earth she could want to speak to him privately about.

* * *

Lily isn't a coward. She's not. She is a Gryffindor. Gryffindor's are brave.

Yet, she sits alone after her second failed attempt to tell James about Danielle and the voice in her head, sounding very much like Mary, punctuates her every thought with '_**Chicken**_'.

_I couldn't tell him the first time, _she thinks, _it was a very happy moment for us and his friend, why would I ruin that?_

_**Chicken**_

_Honestly, he would have been even angrier because instead of remembering that moment as one of happiness, it would be of sadness._

_**Chicken**_

Lily sighs. She had the perfect opportunity to tell James only moments ago.

They were walking back from dinner together, no one else was around. She could have told him then. But, when he asked her what she wanted to talk in private about she choked. She told him that she needed help in Transfiguration and was too embarrassed to ask for help in front of the others.

_**Chicken**_

_I can't tell him the week before Valentine's Day. That is just plain awful._

_**Chicken**_

_We have a private Transfiguration lesson tomorrow night, I can tell him then. _She reasons with herself

_**Chicken**_

-J-3-L-

Lily stands in the Transfiguration Classroom and watches as James turns a desk into a garden gnome and back again.

"See, yours looks fine, but mine always ends up with wooden legs!" She says angrily.

"Here, don't hold your wand so tight. You are too tense. If you just loosen your grip it should do the trick." He instructs.

Lily loosens her grip and tries the spell again. To her excitement the desk transforms into a perfect garden gnome, who immediately tries to escape through the door. James stuns him and places him back in his spot so Lily can turn him back into the desk.

"Wow, James. Thanks. That was really helpful. I learned loads." She says, and she means it. What had originated as a distraction turned out to be extremely beneficial… for her.

The guilt rises up in her again as she remembers reason she is here, what she knows she has to say to him.

"Actually, since we are here, I figure if you can be brave I can as well."

Lily frowns slightly, _what does he mean by that? Does he know something about Todd that he needs to tell me? Something like what I know about Danielle? Oh no, is Todd cheating on me?_

"I need a bit of help in Charms. I can't quite get the hang of a few things. What do you say, private lesson for private lesson? I think it's a fair enough trade." James says reasonably. Lily smiles in relief.

_**He doesn't even know you know something about Danielle, dolt.**_

_Well, this way I can tell him tomorrow. It will be a lot easier to talk about it tomorrow. He is really tired from Quidditch today._

**_Chicken._**

"Sure, tomorrow night?" Lily asks. He smiles and agrees before exiting the room extinguishing the torches as they go.

As they walk back to the common room Lily hears Todd call out to her. "Lily, hey, wait up!"

Lily stops to wait for him but James continues on without her. She tries to listen to Todd as he talks but the resounding chorus of '_**Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! Chicken!**_' in her head is too distracting.

So goes her third attempt to tell James. She will do better tomorrow. She will be more confident in the Charms Classroom, more comfortable. _It will definitely be easier to tell him tomorrow._

"Lily?" Todd asks waving his hand in front of her face. Lily jumps slightly. She had forgotten he was there.

"Sorry Todd, what were you saying?"

"I was asking you if you wanted to get together tomorrow night." He says.

Ordinarily Lily would love to spend time with him. _It would be the perfect opportunity to get out of telling Jam_ – _**CHICKEN!**_

"Sorry Todd, I can't. I promised that I would help someone with their Charms work." Todd smiles at her.

"That's why I like you so much, giving up your evenings to help others." He smiles and guilt rushes through Lily again.

-J-3-L-

Lily decides the next night that her and James' private Charms lesson isn't the right time to tell him either. She can't give him such awful news when he looks so ecstatic that he finally got a charm right.

_Who am I to ruin this moment of accomplishment for him._

All she gets as a reply is a resigned, _**Chicken**_.

-J-3-L-

Lily walks to breakfast thoroughly depressed. It's Friday morning and she still hasn't told James about Danielle. Slughorn's party is tomorrow and James will show up with that slapper unless Lily just tells him the truth about what she heard.

She sits down at the Gryffindor table between James and Peter. James doesn't look up when she sits, but continues to stare at his breakfast looking sad.

"What's up with you?" She asks him.

"Nothing just got a lot to think about." He says.

_What does that mean? _Lily wonders. But as the post owls arrive she becomes distracted.

The Daily Prophet drops next to James' pumpkin juice and Lily immediately picks it up. She steals his paper almost every day, and every day their playful banter about her thievery ensues. But instead of pretending to get mad, or telling her that it will cost her, James just continues to stare at his cornflakes, swirling his spoon around the bowl.

"I'm off." He says suddenly standing. "I want to be early for Charms." He says as he leaves.

_When has James wanted to be early for class… ever? _ Lily wonders.

"Is he ok?" She asks Sirius.

"Yeah, just women troubles." Sirius says and leaves it at that.

_Shit!_ Lily thinks. _How did he find out? Does he know I know? Should I go after him? Explain? This is all so confusing! _ She thinks frustrated.

_Well, at least he knows now._

* * *

**A/N – Poor Lily. Poor James! Who wants to punch Dee in the face? No? Just me? Oh well. **

**I hope you liked it. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N – Just a quick note. Sorry if I am confusing people, but at this point the story The Marauders and Lily and Mary and Beth are in sixth year.**

**Now, on to the new chapter! :)**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

James' head is in complete turmoil. He feels sick and excited and sad and happy all at once. It is complete and utter madness. He knows that what he wants to do is the right thing, yet he can't bring himself to do it.

The realization that his relationship with Dee is over had begun last week. He knows it's unfair for him to continue a relationship with her now. But he can't break it off with her the day before Slughorn's Valentine's Day Party. He isn't that much of an arse. But he knows it's wrong to take her to the party when he doesn't really want to be there with her.

Just then he sees Dee walking down the corridor in front of him with a group of her friends. Without thinking much about what he is doing or what he is going to say he shouts out to her, and runs to catch up.

She turns to him and smiles. "Hi, Jamesy. I was just going to study, but I can blow it off for you." She says wrapping her arms around his neck.

He backs away from her slightly and replies. "Actually, I have to get to Charms. I just fancied a quick chat about tomorrow." He begins. "I am not sure –"

"Don't worry, I already figured it out for you." Dee says cutting him off.

James stares at her confused. _She figured out I want to break it off?_

"You have?"

"Yes, you should wear your black dress robes. You know the ones I like right? They will look great next to my new pink robes." She tells him.

James gives himself a mental head slap. _Of course she wouldn't have figured out you want to break it off with her, dolt._

"Right…" he says trying to think of a way to bring the conversation back to where he wants it to be.

"Ok, well, I won't keep you. I doubt Flitwick would be mad if you're late but we don't want to test it." She says with a laugh and stands on tip toe to kiss him before turning and walking back to her friends.

_Well, it really is for the best._ He thinks to himself as he walks towards the Charms classroom. _This way I haven't left her dateless the day before a big party._

He continues for the rest of the day to try and convince himself that taking her to the party is the right thing to do.

That night after Quidditch practice James and Beth walk back to the castle together as usual.

"Are you going to tell me what these woman troubles might be?" Beth asks him.

"Who says I'm having woman troubles?" James asks her.

"Sirius. When you left breakfast today everyone could tell something was up, so Lily asked him about it, and he just said you are having woman troubles. Is Dee mad at you?"

"No, it's really nothing. I'm handling it." He tells her. It isn't a complete lie, Dee isn't mad at him… yet.

"I know you don't want to admit it, but you probably need help." She says giving him a knowing look.

"No, I don't. I know what I have to do and no help from anyone will make me feel any less awful about it." He tells her with a bit more ferocity then he meant.

She gives him a look of confusion, probably at his tone. "Suit yourself. I hope you don't blow it." She says.

_Me too, _James thinks.

-L-3-J-

Saturday dawns snowy and cold. The Gryffindor sixth years decide to spend their time in the common room around the fire. James watches as Peter loses spectacularly to Sirius in a game of chess before turning to Mary who is sitting next to him on the couch.

"Who are you going to Slughorn's party with?" He asks her.

"Dennis Abbott."

"Hm, I didn't think you liked him much." Remus comments.

"Well, we didn't have quite the connection I was hoping for, but he asked me last week, and I thought, well, I won't be able to go otherwise. It should be fun." She says fairly.

"I see…" James says and then turns to Lily who just returned from her dormitory with a large book. "I assume you and Selwyn will be there?" James asks her.

She blushes deeply for a moment before responding. "Yes, I am meeting him in the Entrance Hall at eight."

"I am meeting Dee at eight too, we should walk down together." He suggests.

Lily looks surprised for a moment. "Sure, that sounds lovely."

James can't help but notice the small frown of her lips. He's wondering what she is thinking about when Sirius cuts in.

"Well, I am taking that Ravenclaw fox in seventh year." He almost brags.

"Who, Tiana Daxter?" James asks shocked.

"Yep." He says leaning back in his chair looking pleased with himself.

James feels slightly guilty about this. Dee had wanted to set Remus up with Tiana but James had stopped her thinking that Remus and Beth were about to get together. He should have let it happen as soon as he realized Beth had a boyfriend.

"What about you Beth, who are you taking?" Sirius asks.

"Uh, well, I thought I'd go alone." She says sheepishly.

Sirius perks up at this and smiles wickedly at James. Slughorn had never invited Remus or Peter to join the Slug Club and neither had been asked to the party, which means that Remus is available tonight.

"Why don't you go with Moony, that way you don't have to go stag?" Sirius suggests innocently.

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with going stag!" James says in protest and the other three boys erupt in laughter. The girls look from one of them to the other clearly not understanding what is so funny.

"Uh, yeah, that would be good. Rem, what do you think? Want to go as just friends?" Beth asks when the laughter dies down.

"Sure Beth, that would be lovely." Remus says.

James avoids Lily's eye knowing that if he catches it he won't be able to stop from grinning. Suddenly he doesn't feel so guilty anymore.

Peter looks into the fire not joining in the conversation. He alone of the group will not be attending. Usually he had Remus to keep him company when Sirius and James went to Slug Club events. James frowns at his friend feeling bad. _He should crash._ James thinks. _Maybe Slughorn won't care so much after a few glasses of Firewhiskey._

-L-3-J-

At a quarter 'til eight James stands in the common room with Sirius and Remus waiting for the girls to come down so they can head down to the Entrance Hall.

James is straightening the black dress robes that Dee had instructed him to wear when Beth comes down the stairs wearing pale pink dress robes that accent her skin tone perfectly. James smiles as Remus holds out his arm to her and the two head out of the portrait hole. _Why can't they see how good they are together?_ James wonders.

When he turns his attention back to the girl's staircase he sees Mary emerge wearing periwinkle blue dress robes and behind her stands Lily. She looks stunning in bottle green dress robes that match her eyes perfectly. Her luscious red hair lies freely down her back in long curls.

She meets James' eyes with a wide smile on her face and James feels his heart melt in his chest. He can't help but grin back. As she comes to stand next to him he has to remind himself that she is not his date for the evening, he is just escorting her to the Entrance Hall where she will be meeting her boyfriend. And only her boyfriend should be looking at her the way he is now.

"You look beautiful." James says then catching himself he adds with a nod to Mary, "Both of you."

"Thank you." They say at the same time.

"Shall we?" Sirius says and the foursome makes their way down to meet up with their dates.

James spots Dee near the entrance to Great Hall and makes his way over to her. She is wearing hot pink dress robes just as she had said.

"You, uh, look nice." James tells her, unable to stop thinking how very plain she looks compared to the way Lily looks tonight.

"Thank you Jamesy. You look handsome." She compliments him wrapping her arm around his and leading him to Slughorn's office. "I knew these robes would look smashing next to mine, makes the color pop see?" She explains.

James just nods and mumbles a response, not really listening to what she is saying. He is distracted by Lily up ahead of him, hips swaying enticingly as she walks.

-L-3-J-

"Don't you want to dance?" Dee asks James.

They have been sitting at this table in the back of the large room for nearly an hour, neither of them talking. When they had entered the party James had suggested they grab some food first and they sat down and haven't moved from the table yet.

"No, I don't fancy dancing much." He lies.

"You danced loads at Mary's party over the summer." Dee points out.

It is perfectly true, he had danced quite a bit, and in all honesty he does enjoy dancing. His mother taught him at a young age how to dance. At first he protested but when his father stepped in and told him that dancing is just a way to get birds, James paid a lot closer attention. But it seems wrong to dance with Dee, it wouldn't be right. Not now that he knows his true feelings.

James can't help but continue to send glances in Lily's direction. He watches as she laughs at something Selwyn says. He wishes he could be the one to make her laugh like that, twirl her around the dance floor, go get her a drink… anything.

"Look Dee, I have to tell you something…" James says and she turns to look at him an angry look on her face.

What makes him think that this moment is the right time to do this, he doesn't know, but…

_Here goes nothing_.

* * *

Lily takes a seat at one of the empty tables as Todd goes to get them drinks. She finds herself continually glancing over to the table a few meters away where James sits with Danielle. They both look sulky and James seems to be saying something that Danielle isn't too pleased with.

_Maybe he just told her that he has no money and that he doesn't know anyone of any importance what-so-ever. _Lily thinks bitterly.

She had thought that James knew about Danielle's little escapades. Assumed that, that was what Sirius had meant by "woman troubles". Yet, he still brought her to the party. _Does this mean he doesn't know and I failed yet again to tell him?_ Lily wonders.

She is pulled from her reverie when she hears that horrible voice rise up over the crowd. She focuses back on James and Danielle who now appear to be arguing. Danielle is shouting anyway.

"You are ditching me? At a _party!_" She shouts.

"Keep your voice down Dee, please!" James pleads with her.

"I will not! This is ridiculous, James!" She screams standing up.

"Honestly Dee, you are making a scene." He says.

Lily looks around and sees that he is quite right. Everyone within ear shot is now staring at the pair.

"How's this for a scene?" Dee says in a hysterical voice.

She picks up a glass of butterbeer off the tray the nearest house elf is carrying and dumps it over James' head. Silence falls around the room. James stands up calmly and opens his mouth but with a loud SMACK, Dee hits him across the face.

"You know what, James? I don't need you anymore! It's not worth it, no matter how rich and connected you are, I can't put up with this anymore! All you say is that you want to wait, well guess what? I DIDN'T! I've had three different guys going behind your back and all three of them got _way_ further than you ever will!" She screeches.

James just stares at her for a few beats then without a word steps around her and weaves his way around the silent crowd and out the door, leaving Danielle standing alone. A few people converge on her as she begins to cry.

Lily stands up not feeling a pinch of pity for the girl, but instead feeling a great deal of disgust. She turns intent on following James but stops when she sees Todd behind her.

"Hey, I will be right back." She tells him. "I just want to make sure he is alright."

He doesn't respond, just nods his head grinning madly. Lily doesn't know what is so amusing, but deciding she'll find out later she heads in the direction of the door. She reaches it at the same time as Remus and Sirius.

"Do you mind if I talk to him first?" She asks them.

"Actually, Lily, I doubt he wants to talk to anyone right now. Probably just wants to be alone." Remus says.

"Yeah, he'll want to calm down some, think a little. He'll talk when he's ready." Sirius agrees.

"I just want to make sure he is ok, I feel slightly responsible for all this." She says guiltily. Remus nods and looks at Sirius.

"He'll be up on the Astronomy Tower." Sirius tells her. "Just don't be surprised if he isn't ready to talk about it yet." He warns her.

"Thanks guys, I'll be back in a bit." She says and leaves the party.

Lily can't even explain to herself why she wants to talk to James so badly, she figures it is mostly to ease her own conscience, but in the back of her mind she knows it's more. She cares for James and doesn't like to see him get hurt. _Especially by a two-timing little slag like Danielle Abbott._ She thinks viciously.

Lily ponders Remus' and Sirius' words as she walks. They both seem to think he won't want to talk yet and neither of them had thought it at all suspicious that she feels as if it is somehow her fault. This is strange because she is sure that they don't know that she knew about Danielle's cheating. So, if they don't know… _why would they think it's my fault?_

"James?" She calls out into the darkness when she reaches the top of the tower.

She spots him standing by the edge, resting his arms on the ledge and staring down at the grounds.

"Fancy meeting you here." He says rather dejectedly not turning to face her. She walks over next to him mimicking his stance.

"So, interesting night." She says as an ice breaker. He lets out a humorless chuckle as a response.

"I have something I need to tell you." She admits. He glances sideways at her and she takes this as an invitation to continue speaking. "This is going to sound terrible now, but I knew Danielle was seeing another guy. I didn't know about all three, but I knew there was one." She admits finally.

Then she launches into the story about how she found out and how she was too chicken to tell him. She doesn't dare look at him throughout her explanation but as she finishes she turns to face him.

"Just so you know though, you can do so much better than the likes of her."

James lets out a snort and finally speaks. "And to think, she was using me and I'm the only bloke in the entire castle who isn't getting shagged." He chuckles as Lily pushes him playfully.

"Leave it to you to make an inappropriate joke at a time like this." She says in mock reproach but they are both smiling now.

His smile falters slightly as he asks, "So, you didn't really need help with Transfiguration, then?"

"I did. I just didn't know it until after you helped me." She says fairly.

Then it's as if someone had just turned the weather back on Lily feels a gust of cold wind and she shivers. "Wow, it's freezing out here, wish I'd thought to bring a cloak."

James smiles at her and bends down to pick up a pebble from the ground. She stares at him confused for a moment, and then he transfigures the pebble into a thick woolen emerald green cloak. He wraps it around her shoulders and Lily can't help but be impressed with his wand work. She is extremely aware of his strong hands running up and down her arms trying to warm her. She looks up into his face. _When did he get so tall? _She wonders.

He looks down at her his deep hazel eyes seem to bore into hers, enchanting her. She can't look away. She is vaguely aware that his hands are no longer moving but are now resting behind her elbows. She can barely think her mind has gone foggy. She can't look away from those eyes. James suddenly clears his throat and steps away from her, effectively breaking the trance.

"You should get back to the party. _Your_ date didn't make a big scene and embarrass you." He says playfully. When Lily doesn't make a move to leave he becomes more serious. "Don't worry about me, Lily. I'll be fine. I'm a big boy." She smiles at him.

"I know." She says stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his muscular shoulder. Standing on tippy toe she gives him a peck on the cheek. "Just don't stay up here too long, you'll freeze." She instructs before leaving him to his thoughts.

-J-3-L-

When Lily returns to the party she spots Sirius and Remus sitting at a table with Beth and Mary all of them seem to be whispering lowly. She walks over to them and takes the seat next to Mary.

"I found James. He's on the Astronomy Tower like you said." She tells Sirius. "Is _she_ still here?"

"No, she left with her friends and brother about a minute after you did." Mary tells her.

"Good." Lily says and then Todd and Stebbins appear at the table and sit in the last two open seats. Lily usually doesn't have a problem with Todd's best friend but something about the way they are both grinning puts her off.

"What's so funny?" She demands, not at all in a laughing mood.

"Nothing." Todd says quickly shooting a not so subtle glance in Remus and Sirius' direction. To Lily this clearly means that they are laughing at James' embarrassment and don't want to admit it in front of his best mates.

"Fancy a drink?" Remus says to Sirius and they get up and walk over to where the nearest house elf is stationed with butterbeer.

"Are you going to let us in on the joke now?" Mary asks not quite containing her anger.

"It's just refreshing to see Potter be put in his place for once." Stebbins says smirking as Todd lets out a chuckle.

"You think James deserved to be used and cheated on and then made a fool of in front of a room full of people?" Lily asks heatedly.

"Well, it was just good to see him get a butterbeer to the face is all." Todd says in a soothing voice.

This does nothing to ease Lily's fury, in fact, it actually feeds it.

"Oh come on Lily, you know he is an arrogant berk. Don't pretend that you didn't love seeing him get smacked across the face. You've smacked him yourself!" Todd points out. Lily opens her mouth to protest, to tell him how different the situations were but Mary speaks before she can.

"Really Todd, you don't know James at all. He didn't deserve what that excuse for a human being did to him. He is a good person." She says sounding almost as angry as Lily feels. Lily nods her approval at her friend's statement.

"Listen, it's like Evans said last year, it's a wonder his broom even gets off the ground with his ego weighing as much as it does."

Lily glares at Stebbins now. _How dare he use that against me now! I was angry and I had just been called an awful name by someone who I thought was a friend. I was bound to say things I didn't mean. Well I did mean them, but that isn't James now. He is different, s_he thinks, her temper at boiling point.

"You're just jealous, Stebbins, because James is ten times the Quidditch player you are. Ten times the man." Beth throws at him.

Lily is extremely glad her friends are on her side for this particular fight, she is finding it very difficult to even form a coherent thought let alone proper sentences.

Stebbins stands then. "You girls are just blinded by arrogance." He says before walking away.

"You feel that way too?" Mary asks turning on Todd. He pauses before answering as if picking his words carefully.

"I think that you two are only defending him now because he is so popular and you don't want him to think you don't like him. And I know Lily is only defending him because she feels bad for the way she treated him last year." He says as if everything he just said is pure fact.

Lily's jaw is tightly clenched shut. She doesn't trust herself to speak yet, not when her mind is screaming a tirade of insults towards Todd.

"Beth is right. James is ten times the man you or Stebbins could ever hope to be." Mary starts angrily. "You don't even know him. I do. He is smart and kind and that bitch played him. He definitely didn't deserve what she just put him through. If that makes me blinded by arrogance then so be it." She stands when she finishes her speech and walks away from the table Beth following after her still glaring at Todd.

Todd turns back to Lily with an exasperated look, as if expecting her to apologize for the way her friend just spoke to him. Lily finally finds her voice but is shaky and sounds barely in control.

"You really think that I'm only defending James because I feel badly for how I treated him? Why do you just presume that I hate him? You really think that I wish ill of him or would relish in his pain? What kind of sick human being does that? Who laughs at someone when they have just been publically humiliated by someone they are supposed to be able to trust?" Lily says, staring at him, waiting for the answers to her many questions.

"Lily, I mean, he's just so cocky and last year –" he breaks off an unreadable expression on his face.

"I think you _are_ jealous of James. You're jealous of his Quidditch skill, his grades, his friends, and his popularity. You think he is arrogant, but you don't know him. I used to think so too, I admit it, but that was before I truly knew him. I took the time to get to know him, and I know now that he is a very good person and an extremely loyal friend. So for me to sit here and listen to you laugh and take pleasure in the humiliation of one of my closest friends, it really makes me wonder what kind of person _you_ are."

She stands to leave but he grabs her arm. Lily sees, out of the corner of her eye, Sirius whip out his wand and head their way, Remus shadowing his actions. She shakes her head at them and turns back to Todd.

"Lily, I didn't mean to upset you so much –" She holds up her hand to stop him.

"I am not in the mood to talk about this anymore. We can talk later."

With that she walks away and he lets her.

* * *

James isn't quite sure how long he stayed up on the Astronomy Tower.

He stood up there for hours thinking over his current predicament. He knows now, without a shadow of a doubt, that he did the right thing tonight. Breaking up with Dee had been a good decision, not only because she didn't turn out to be the person she thought she was, but also because he is completely sure now that he is in love with Lily. There is no getting around it. He tried to pretend otherwise, but there is no use.

Her scent alone is intoxicating. When he wrapped the cloak around her he got a whiff of her fruity scented hair that somehow reminds him simultaneously of the leather of his Quidditch gloves and of treacle tart. They were such odd things to be reminded of at that moment, yet the effect was inebriating. She is the only person he has ever met who makes him feel this way and he isn't entirely sure he wants anyone else to make him feel this way.

_It must be after midnight, _he thinks as he makes the familiar journey back to Gryffindor Tower and finding the corridors devoid of any motion. There is no doubt in his mind that his friends will be awake waiting to talk to him. In fact they have probably been watching him on the map since the moment they returned from the party to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

Sighing he opens the door to his dormitory tentatively. He sees Remus sitting on the window sill reading a book and Sirius strewn across James' bed reading a magazine, Peter's hangings were shut though. _Must have fallen asleep before the others got back, _he guesses.

"Finally mate." Sirius says sitting up and stretching.

"Sorry, you guys didn't have to wait up."

"Course we did." Sirius says.

"Are you ok?" Remus asks.

James shrugs knowing that to give his friends an accurate account of how he is truly feeling would take all night.

"Yeah, we figured." Sirius says.

"Lily said she found you on the Astronomy Tower. Did she make it better or worse?" Remus asks sympathetically.

"Better I guess." James says.

He tells them what was said between him and Lily upon the tower. Conveniently leaving out the part where she kissed him and the fact that he is head-over-heels in love with her. _They don't need to know everything, _he thinks.

"Yeah, I know the bloke she is talking about. I saw him with Dee the other day, but I didn't think much of it, they were just talking. Sorry mate." Sirius says apologetically.

"No problem. I'm not too torn up over it, except the fact that my reputation is now severely tarnished."

Remus grins at him. "I wouldn't be too worried about that, Prongs."

"Yeah, the way the ladies tell it, you are just a wounded victim." Sirius adds pretending to swoon.

Remus then launches into the story of how after Lily returned to the party she, Mary and Beth came to his defense.

"Wow, I will need to thank them tomorrow." He says and starts to get ready for bed, dreading having to go down and face the rest of the school in the morning.

-L-3-J-

James decides to walk down to dinner alone the night after the party. Sirius was taking a long time to make sure that he looked good for his date that night and, being too impatient to wait, James leaves without his friends. As he reaches the bottom of the marble staircase he instantly regrets this decision.

He sees an all too familiar head of blonde hair making a beeline for him. All his instincts tell him to make a run for it, to dash out onto the grounds or to turn around and run back up the stairs. But he doesn't, he stops in his tracks and Dee walks right up to him.

A loud SMACK reverberates around the now silent Entrance Hall as she hits him round the face for the second time in twenty-four hours. James looks her right in the eyes, jaw set, and anger flowing through his veins.

"I despise you, James Potter!" She begins. "You were a worthless boyfriend and you didn't appreciate how good you had it with me. I hope that every girl you date after me knows that you won't be faithful to them, just as you weren't to me!" Her voice continues to rise as she speaks. "You couldn't make a girl feel loved if you actually tried, Potter!"

James sees out of the corner of his eye an unforgettable mane of red hair. Lily.

Of course she is watching. Everyone is. She, like the rest of the silent crowd, is waiting to see his response. _What should I do? _He thinks quickly. _I could run, but that would make me seem cowardly_. _Besides, Dee would only follow me_. _I could yell back, but that won't help either. _Dee has proven again and again that her lungs can hold a pitch that can overpower anyone else's voice.

So he stands, silently waiting, unsure of how to react. Before he can make a decision she turns and walks away, tears filling her eyes, whether they are real or fake, James doesn't know. He wouldn't put it past her to break out in fake tears for sympathy. She disappears behind the door leading to her common room and the crowd erupts in whispers and even giggles.

James Potter, notorious Quidditch Captain and co-ringleader of The Marauders, has just been screamed at, accused of cheating, and smacked across the face by his ex-girlfriend who he dumped the previous night at a Valentine's Day party. And he didn't do a thing to stop it. He just stood there and took it. The gossip will last for weeks.

James figures the reason they all gathered was so that they would get to see more of what had occurred at Slughorn's Party the previous night. Surely, those who hadn't witnessed it for themselves would know the gist of it by now. Rumors run wild around this school. He is exceptionally glad Dee hadn't erupted into the same tirade that she had at the party, but he's also upset that she had the nerve to accuse him of cheating after she had openly screamed to the whole party that she cheated on him regularly.

He finds her hypocritical yet he knows that she was just trying to make him feel some of the humiliation that he had put her through last night. He had broken up with her at a party, and not just any party, a party that celebrates an entire day dedicated to love. It definitely wasn't the best moment to do such a thing, and he knew it, but, on the whole, it was for the best.

Furthermore James hadn't even cheated on Dee_, but I may as well have_, he thinks. He doesn't feel for her what he feels for Lily, and if he's honest with himself, he'd known that whole time he and Dee dated. And to him, that is just as bad as actually cheating. Dee's words last night had been hurtful and cutting but he knew that most of them were true.

It wasn't until he overheard Lily's conversation with Remus, a little over a week ago, about his friend's condition, that he finally admitted to himself that he would not settle for anyone else but the fiery red-head who had stolen his heart years ago. Dee never stood a chance, and to go on pretending was somehow even crueler than ditching her on Valentine's Day.

As for Dee cheating on him, he knows this to be true as well. Lily had told him last night on the Astronomy Tower that she'd witnessed it with her own… well, ears. He knows and trusts that she wouldn't have just said it to intentionally hurt him while he was already down. It's not her style.

Realizing that he is still standing in the middle of chattering crowd, James forces himself to look straight ahead as he continue on his way to the Great Hall for dinner as if nothing has interrupted his journey. He plops down at the Gryffindor table and begins shoveling food onto his plate not caring much what it is. He smells her fruity scent before he hears her words.

"That was very mature of you, not to retaliate." Lily says as she takes the seat to his left. "The same way you did at Slughorn's Party. I am a little bit proud of you for not rising to the bait." She remarks.

He lets himself have a small smile. But his smile fades slightly as he responds. "I didn't want to make it worse. Let her scream at me and berate me. I deserve it. What kind of person is heartless enough to ditch someone on Valentine's Day? It is probably the least gallant thing in the universe." He states.

Lily looks over at him a small frown on her face. "You have no reason to feel guilty James." She says placing a hand on his arm reassuringly. "Remember what I said. She doesn't deserve your kindness. Besides, technically Valentine's Day is tomorrow. You just ditched her at party celebrating Valentine's Day." She gives him a reassuring smile, as if this small technicality makes any difference at all.

He gives her a disbelieving look. _How can she try to make light of what I did?_

"You can do so much better than that excuse for a witch. I know it." She says giving his arm another light squeeze.

James shakes his head sadly but before he can respond their other friends join them at the table and Lily removes her hand from his arm. James wishes she hadn't witnessed the scene today, or even the one at the party. He even wishes she hadn't found him afterwards. Her kind words and cheery attitude only make him want her more, which makes it harder for him to keep his resolve.

_Merlin this is a depressing Valentine's Day weekend,_ he thinks gloomily.

The others begin to talk of classes and of plans for the evening but James let's himself continue thinking of Lily. He has to remind himself yet again that he has decided that as long as he and Lily are friends then he will be happy. For just being her friend is a significant improvement over having her scream at him three times a week.

_She doesn't see me that way, at least, not right now, not while she is happy with Mr. Pointy-Nose-Perfect-Prefect. Stupid prat._

James is pulled from his thoughts by Lily squeezing his shoulder in a comforting way before leaving to meet up with Selwyn for their date_. _The others either hadn't noticed her gesture or they were intentionally not commenting on it. He is pretty sure that they each know exactly how he feels about Lily now and none of them want to make him feel any worse about it.

"They made up then?" Sirius asks Mary in an undertone, hoping that James wouldn't hear. But he had.

"Lily said that they're going to work it out tonight, apparently she thinks he didn't mean what he said last night, that he was just drunk and babbling. She said that Stebbins snuck in some Firewhisky or something." Mary says disbelievingly.

James tries to tune them out, unwilling to hear how Lily and her boyfriend are going to work everything out. He is rather hoping that she ditches him tonight, but he knows it's just a fantasy.

Soon after Lily leaves Sirius and Peter get up to join their dates as well. James looks up and notices Mary, Beth and Remus all still sitting around him. "Aren't you lot going to be late for your dates?" He asks confused.

James can't remember the last time a Marauder (besides Peter) didn't have a date on a weekend night, especially a Sunday night when they don't have classes the next morning. It only happens twice a year after all. Same thing goes for Mary as well.

"I don't have a date, as my boyfriend lives in London." Beth says cheerily. James nods. _Duh_.

"And I've decided to ditch mine." Mary says matter-of-factly.

James has his suspicions as to why but doesn't voice them. Mary is James' oldest friend and he knows she would ditch anyone who played a part in hurting him, just like he would for her. And since Mary's current boyfriend is Dee's twin brother, it isn't too hard of a conclusion to come to.

He looks at Remus raising his eyebrows. "I never made a date." Remus shrugs. James knows this is a lie, but lets it go, knowing he'll get his answers later.

"Let's play exploding snap." Beth suggests. "I need to get really good so I can beat Sirius." She claims.

James isn't a fool and they aren't very good at hiding their motives, they are all trying to distract him so he doesn't think about how Lily is probably out snogging Selwyn in some secluded corner of the grounds or how Dee is most likely shagging some random Hufflepuff bloke to get back at him, and he appreciates it.

Sirius, who knows James best, had decided to go on his date and James understands why. Sirius, while talented in almost all he sets out to do, has never been good at expressing feelings or understanding emotions. He will have wanted to give James space to work his stuff out on his own and once he comes to terms with everything, then Sirius will be there, ready to help James however James sees fit.

Peter, James knows, rarely has a date, so he wasn't about to back out of it for anything less than one of them bleeding to death in the hospital wing. _Maybe not even then, _James jokes with himself. He doesn't mind though. He isn't in the mood to have Peter fawn over him tonight anyway. Nor is he in the mood to have Sirius around making awkwardly inappropriate jokes until James gets fed up with him and they end up dueling, which happens more often than either of them care to admit.

No, these three people are the best ones to have by his side tonight. All of them are good with emotions and one of them knows exactly how to distract him.

Beth starts it off by suggesting an exploding snap tournament of sorts. In between their turns she talks tactics with him for the upcoming Quidditch matches. It makes him feel better to think about other things he cares about and the game is a pretty good distraction.

When Beth heads up to bed after winning the tournament, Remus decides to head to the kitchens to get them all some hot chocolate.

_Mary is next then, _James thinks. And she is. She plays her rational thinking card.

"So, you're a dirty cheating arse I hear." She laughs. James snaps his head round to face her.

"Who told you that?"

"Everyone was talking about it at dinner tonight. If you hadn't been in your own little James World you would have heard them. I am assuming Dee ambushed you, unhappy with the way things ended last night." She guesses.

She's exactly right, but he knows that she still needs confirmation from him.

"Yep." He agrees simply. She just stares at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "She caught up with me in the Entrance Hall, gave me another good smack and yelled that I was a terrible boyfriend and that I cheated on her." He sums up

Mary ponders this for a moment. "Well, that's to be expected, she wants you to look like the bad guy. She is angry at herself for admitting in front a room full of people that she cheated on and used you. She's just trying to do some damage control. If she wants to lock in a wealthy husband before we leave school then she can't have the rumor running around that she cheats on people and uses them for her own gain." She explains.

James nods. It makes sense, Mary usually does make sense, but it does little in the way of making him feel better. He could care less about people thinking he cheated on Dee. Most people don't think of him as all that faithful of a bloke anyway. He is more concerned that she's trying to use him to get sympathy or to turn people against him.

"Do you think she is going to try to use this against me for the rest of the time we are at school? You know, so I'll just miserably walk the halls while everyone hates me and think of her as a victim." He asks Mary the concern clear in his voice.

"Nah, she doesn't have much of a case. She can't keep spouting lies. The most she has against you is that you ditched her at a Valentine's Day party. But even that can't get too many people to turn against their beloved Quidditch Captain." She smirks.

He laughs now knowing she's right. He could've actually cheated on Dee and then broken up with her on her birthday and people would probably still fawn over him.

Remus returns then and hands them each their hot chocolate. They sip it down slowly in silence. Mary finishes first and announces she's going to bed. _Now it's Moony's turn,_ James thinks.

He knows Remus has been saved for last because he's the only one James can truly tell everything to and get the advice he seeks, then Remus will be able to keep him good and distracted. It is one of the greatest things about Remus. He has an exceptional talent for working out feelings, and in the case of his friends, of being a giant distraction.

"Before you start in on me, tell me the real reason you ditched your date tonight." James demands.

"I can go out with her any time. She's been eyeing me for months."

The words take James by surprise. Remus hardly ever sounds cocky and arrogant. He usually leaves those two attributes to Sirius and James.

"Besides I can't abandon you when you need me, just like you never abandon me when I need you." That sounds more like Remus.

"So, you love her." Remus states and continues on with a smile. "And not just in the I-love-her-why-won't-she-go-out-with-me way but in the I-love-her-I-think-I-might-die-if-I-can't-have-her kind of way."

James looks over at his friend tempted to laugh. "Not exactly that dramatic, but I suppose that's correct. I do love her. And not in the foolish way I used to claim I did. It's for real now. I know it." He confirms.

Remus nods. "And this is the real reason why you broke it off with Dee?"

"Yeah, it just didn't seem… fair to her." He admits.

"No, I see what you mean. Dating someone while in love with another is hardly fair to either of you." James doesn't respond for he knows this already.

"What do you plan to do about it?" Remus asks.

"Nothing." James replies sullenly. Remus raises his eyebrows at him. "I've chased her for years, Moony, to no avail. If she doesn't like me now, now that I have changed so much, I don't know if she ever will." He says.

"So you're finally listening to what I've been telling you for years?" Remus teases.

"I suppose I am." James agrees.

"Prongs, come on, she just got used to the fact that you two are friends. It would be asking too much of her if you expect that she can suddenly see you as someone who could possibly be the love of her life. Give it time." He pleads.

James nods his head. "I know. And I will. I'm just going to be her friend for now though. We have a good thing going."

"You can't hide your feelings forever." He reminds James.

"I don't intend to. But, while she is happy and so pleased with just being my friend, I won't try and change things. Besides, if I return to that arrogant prat who asks her out every other day she won't ever see me as more than the immature toerag that I used to be. Like you said, I need to give it time. If she is truly happy with Selwyn, and they last forever, then I will be happy for her. If not, we'll see how things go." James explains. Remus nods.

"I find that to be an excellent plan. Now, it's time for your distraction." He says pulling out the cloak and the map with a smile.

James knows instantly what this means. They're going to sneak into Hogsmeade and plan the next full moon in the Three Broomsticks, and maybe get a drink. Or maybe a few drinks. Remus hardly ever breaks the rules anymore and if he does it's for a very good reason. He must see distracting James from his suffering as good enough reason.

"You're a great friend, Moony." James says chuckling.

"Only repaying what is owed." Remus laughs. And they head out for a fun night full of distractions.

* * *

**A/N – I know, I know, it's a tad angsty. I swear I didn't mean it to be! But seriously, what teenager doesn't go through at least a little angst? It gets happy again, and as I've said before I hate stopping on a sad note. So Chapter 12 will be posted very soon! **

**I hope you liked it. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N – Here you are. :)**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

James isn't quite sure how they got back to the castle and into their beds. The last thing he remembers is sitting in the Three Broomsticks with Remus singing the Hogwarts School Song while Rosmerta conducted them. Strictly speaking, both Remus and James are underage and shouldn't be drinking in a pub, but Rosmerta has always been a bit lenient on this rule when it comes to James and Sirius. She lets them have mead and the occasional Firewhiskey if it's necessary. Last night was definitely a Firewhiskey night.

James groans as he rolls over in his bed head pounding. He can feel the nausea overtaking his body as he reaches for his wand on the bedside table. He murmurs the spell for the hang-over cure and lays back down for a moment waiting for it to take full effect. _How much did we drink last night? _ He wonders. _I lost count and that was way before we started singing._

James stomach rumbles and he decides to get up and go see if he can still make breakfast, if not hopefully lunch isn't too far off. He walks down to the common room still in his pajamas stifling a yawn.

"Wow, didn't think we'd see you this early." Lily's voice calls to him.

He looks around finally spotting her sitting by the fire curled up under a blanket. There are very few other people in the common room and James wonders what time it is. He looks down at his watch but finds its missing.

"What time is it?" He asks her walking over and taking a seat next to her.

"Nearly eleven." She says. "The way you two looked last night, Sirius and I were betting you'd be in bed until tomorrow morning." She teases.

_How did she see us last night? Why weren't we wearing the cloak? _James wonders.

"When did you see us?" He asks, hoping to get some clarity.

"I was in the common room last night finishing the Transfiguration essay that is due on Tuesday when Sirius came in carting you and Remus behind him. It was around three in the morning. You were passed out and Remus was saying some rather interesting things." Lily chuckles lightly.

_Why was she doing homework at three in the morning? What does she mean by interesting? Did he tell her how I feel?_

"What was he saying?" James asks trying to sounds as if the question is of no real importance to him.

"He was saying how much he likes Beth and how she shouldn't be dating some 'ministry bloke' and she should dump the boring old tosser." Lily says with a smile.

_Whew. _James thinks and then immediately starts thinking of a way to cover for his friends embarrassing confessions.

"Lily, listen… He was really drunk -"

"Don't worry." She says cutting him off. "I won't tell Beth. We all say things we don't mean when we are drunk."

James raises his eyebrow at her. "You have been drunk?"

"I meant that as general statement, not necessarily pertaining to me."

He laughs. "That's what I thought. Where is everyone?"

"On dates, it's Valentine's Day, remember?"

"Oh… right." James says. He had almost forgotten._ That's why she was up last night doing homework. She won't have time today. I expect she'll be out with Selwyn all night._

"Why aren't you out then?" He asks trying to hide his disdain.

"Todd has Quidditch practice all morning then I have a prefects meeting then patrolling, so we just decided to celebrate last night."

"Ah, makes sense." James says trying hard not to think of how they celebrated.

"Looks like you and Remus celebrated quite a bit yourselves last night." She says obviously hoping for some details.

"Yeah, we snuck into Hogsmeade. Don't harp on Moony too much, he did it for me." He says not wanting Lily to give his friend a hard time about it.

"I wasn't going to." She says defensively.

"Good, cause he already feels bad about it I'm sure, being a prefect and all."

"Then why did he do it?"

"To distract me." James says honestly. Lily looks at him with what he thinks is pity. "I don't want to talk about it though. I'm going to get some food. I'll see you around." He says and makes to stand up.

"I'll come with you." She offers and stands too.

"You don't have to. I am sure you already ate."

"Nope. I was waiting for Beth, but she still hasn't come back from the Owlery yet. You know how she can get when she's writing to Barry." James nods and turns to head for the portrait hole.

"Uh, James? You might want to put on some robes before heading to lunch." James looks down and sees that he's still in pajamas.

"Right you are, Lily." He says and rushes back upstairs to change.

-L-3-J-

Sirius joins them for lunch.

"So what time did Rosmerta send you an owl?" James asks him. He knew it was Rosmerta who summoned Sirius, for he himself has received similar letters from the barmaid late at night urging him to come pick up his drunken friends.

"Around two, she said that even though the pair of you were extremely entertaining she wanted to get to bed." James chuckles.

"When I got there she said you had just passed out and Remus was still singing away merrily. She gave me your watch. Apparently you proposed to her with it trying to prove that you really are a gentleman."

Lily bursts out laughing at this and James turns on her with a 'don't say a word' look.

"I swear I think that is the most drunk I have ever seen you two. And that includes that night dad found us after we drank half his bar." Sirius finishes.

"You two drank half a bar?" Lily asks amazed.

"Moony and Wormtail helped." Sirius says fairly.

"Still." She mutters. James can't help but laugh at her shock. _If she only knew half the stuff we've gotten up to._

"Well, I got another date. I must be off." Sirius says and exits the Great Hall.

"Another date? That's his fourth one this weekend!" Lily says shocked.

"Fifth." James corrects her. "He had one Friday night as well."

"How does he keep up with them?"

"Well, he dates a lot of the same girls twice." James says and Lily glares at him. "It's true! He has dated pretty much all the eligible girls. You can't blame him for going back for seconds."

"Men." Lily huffs and scoops herself some more stew.

He stops himself from laughing. "What else did Moony say last night?" He asks.

"Nothing really, Sirius didn't linger in the common room very long, didn't want to wake anyone else." James is extremely glad that his friend hadn't told Lily the real reason they had gone drinking.

"I will have to remember not to let him drink as much next time." He comments.

"Next time?" Lily asks shocked.

"Of course Lily, there is always a next time." He says with a grin.

* * *

Lily sits with her friends in the common room completing some homework before their apparition lesson later that evening. There is only one more class after today before they take the actual test. She has already achieved Apparition twice, but she was still glad for the extra practice. Mary, however, finds it more troublesome.

"I don't even want to learn. I am always afraid I will splinch myself." She complains.

"Then why did you pay to take the class?" Beth asks.

"I thought it would get easier as time went on." She admits.

"Well, just finish out the lessons and if you still feel that way then you don't have to take the test in July." Lily tells her.

Lily is the only girl in her group of friends that is old enough to take the test in two weeks. Mary, Beth and Peter would all have to wait until the summer, even Todd wouldn't turn seventeen until April. This reminds Lily of something.

"You know, Sunday is James' birthday." She reminds her friends.

"Yeah, we bought his present last week in Hogsmeade, remember?" Beth says sounding slightly distracted as she looks over her Care of Magical Creatures essay.

"Yes, but don't you think we should throw him a party or something?" Lily poses.

"Why?" Mary asks, looking at her friend suspiciously. "We didn't throw Remus a party for his birthday."

"Yeah, we just gave him his present." Beth says.

"Yes, but his birthday was on a week day, we had class." Lily counters.

She wants to do something nice for James on his birthday. She's noticed that he hasn't been quite himself lately and her hope is that a good party will bring him back to his old glory. Besides she remembers how wonderful he'd made her birthday, she owes him.

"Well, if we win the match against Hufflepuff tomorrow there will be a big party. We can't very well have two parties back to back like that." Beth says to Lily as if she couldn't believe Lily hadn't thought of that. But this strikes up a new idea and Lily has already begun formulating a plan.

"Right, here's what we do. First off, we'll need to recruit the other Marauders." She begins, and tells her friends exactly how she plans to throw James the perfect birthday party.

She finds Remus and Peter after their Apparition lesson and explains it to them. She can't get to Sirius, as he is with James chatting away, but the others promise to let him in on it.

-J-3-L-

Lily walks down to the Quidditch Pitch the next day decked out in her Gryffindor gear. She is fully confident that everything will go as planned. _You better win this one, Potter. _She thinks smiling to herself as they take their seats in the crowd.

Lily never used to pay much attention to James as he played before. She was always more concerned with Beth, but now as he walks up to shakes hands with Stebbins she finds that she can't take her eyes off him.

"And they're off!" The announcer, Natalie Edgecombe, says in her magically magnified voice.

The game starts quickly and within the first five minutes James has already scored twice.

"It's ninety-ten in favor of Gryffindor." Natalie says after nearly forty-five minutes. "Hufflepuff can't seem to keep up with Gryffindor's offense. Their lead scorer, Dennis Abbott, has only beaten Gryffindor's Keeper once."

Lily smiles at this, not only is it good for Gryffindor in general, but Dennis is Danielle's brother. Having him get beaten by James' team would just be the icing on the cake of a perfect day for him.

"Potter really has put together an excellent side this year." Natalie continues. "Not to mention he is rather handsome, and clever, and funny, he really does have the whole package this boy."

"Miss Edgecombe!" Interjects McGonagall's disgruntled voice. "Please refrain from the compliments and let everyone know what is going on in the match!" Lily and the rest of the crowd erupt in laughter.

It is well-known that Natalie Edgecombe has a crush on James, but as far as Lily can tell he has only ever blown a kiss in her direction.

Natalie should be cursing James at the moment, considering that she is a Hufflepuff and her house team is currently taking quite a beating by him, but that doesn't seem to bother her too much. In fact, James seemed to take priority in Natalie's life. She used to be Danielle's best friend, but after Danielle and James' break up, you more often saw her with Cait. It was quite satisfying for Lily to see Danielle fall from grace. She is never surrounded by her group of gossiping girls anymore. They all seemed to flock to Cait, who had taken the crown as head gossip with glee.

"It's one-ten to twenty with Gryffindor really having an easy time of it here. Potter has a quick word with his Seeker, Elizabeth Robins, before heading back onto the field to join the action. Not much for the Seekers to do in this game, no sign on the Snitch yet."

Lily watches James zoom around the pitch, dodging between players and Bludgers a like. He catches the Quaffle and passes it with such ease that Lily finds it almost comical. When he makes another remarkable goal Lily can't help but acknowledge how good of a player he is. Mary nudges her then and points to where Beth has just went into a spectacular dive, neck in neck with the Hufflepuff Seeker, Justin Corner.

"It's one-fifty to forty with Gryffindor in a commanding lead. But it looks as if both Robins and Corner have spotted the Snitch. If Corner gets there first Hufflepuff will win the match."

Both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff supporters are on their feet now screaming words of encouragement to their respective Seekers. Beth pulls out of the dive suddenly her hand raised high above her head, a gold glimmer apparent in her closed fist.

"Robins got the Snitch! Gryffindor has won! Three-hundred to forty!" Natalie screams as the scarlet clad supports go wild.

Lily watches as James flies over to Beth and encircles her in a victorious hug. A piercing screech can be heard from Beth's lips and Lily wonders wildly what James has done to her before she notices the Bludger shooting right at her. James turns his broom just in time to block its path to Beth and takes the Bludger for her. Lily gasps and covers her mouth with her hands, horrified for the worst. But he turns his broom back around as he and Beth make their slow decent back to the ground where the rest of the team is waiting. He waves his left arm to his supporters who are now spilling onto the field.

Lily rushes up to the team with The Marauders and Mary and hugs Beth closely. "Great catch!" She tells her.

"Thanks!" She says beaming and turning to Remus to receive a rather tight hug. Lily looks over to James who has his eyebrows raised in suspicion of their friends.

"You all right, Potter?" She asks in her best attempt at bravado, but unable to hide the concern she feels.

"Just fine, Evans." He says playing along with her banter. "Just a few broken fingers is all. Nothing Pomfrey can't put right." He flashes her one of his cocky grins that she used to hate and now finds oddly exhilarating.

"Well, once Pomfrey's fixed you up, we are having a party in Gryffindor common room. Fifteen minutes!" Mary calls to him over Lily's shoulder. Lily gives James a quick hug.

"You played pretty good today. I've seen you do better though." She teases before Mary pulls her away towards the castle to begin the preparations.

* * *

"It was Stebbins." Peter tells James as he sits on the edge of a bed in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had fixed his fingers in about five seconds but she insisted on him waiting ten minutes to make sure he didn't get nauseous before letting him leave.

"He saw Beth got the Snitch so he swung a Bludger at you two while you celebrated. Not sure if he was aiming at you or at Beth. Probably didn't care who it hit."

James snorts. "It was probably meant for me. Stebbins just has terrible aim."

"Yeah, well Hooch looked furious, I saw her shouting at him on the way up here, and I swear a vain in her temple nearly burst."

James chuckles at his friends joke and hops off the bed. He has waited long enough. He knows he won't get sick, Pomfrey just worries too much.

"Where'd Moony and Padfoot run off to?" James asks remembering how they rushed off right after they congratulated him.

"They are in charge of getting the drinks for tonight." Peter informs him.

"Well, I guess that leaves us to get the food then, Wormy." James says clapping his friend on the back with his good hand. Even if his fingers are mended, they are still sore.

"Actually Prongs, Mary is in charge of food and Lily is in charge of the decorations."

James is taken aback by this information. Mary he understands, she has always participates in the parties, but Lily? She has never helped set up a party before or really even condoned them. She only even shows up to the parties to support Beth. _She really is full of surprises isn't she?_ James thinks as he follows Peter back to the common room. It seems strange not helping with the preparations, almost wrong.

"Hello, my lovely." James says to the Fat Lady when they arrive in front of the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. It is always wise to stay on her good side, for you never know when you will need her help.

"Hello dear, congratulations on the match. I hear you scored eight of Gryffindor's fifteen goals."

"I did it all for you gorgeous." He says winking at her.

"Hippogriff." Peter says sullenly, the Fat Lady always seems to forget Peter is around.

"Right you are. Have fun at the party, James." She says before swinging open to reveal that the celebrations have already begun.

Everyone cheers for him as he walks in and he is immediately bombarded by a gang of giggling girls. By the time he finally breaks away he spots Sirius and Remus by the food and heads over to meet them.

"Excellent selection." James comments as he notices all his favorite foods have been set out.

"Agreed." Sirius says through a mouth full of treacle tart.

"Butterbeer?" Remus offers and James accepts the drink from his friend.

Hours later James and Sirius are in the middle of a particularly violent game of chess when Sirius unexpectedly stands up and mutters that he will be right back.

"Oi! Sirius! Where are you going? Don't leave me here!" He calls after his friends retreating back as the giggling girls converge on him again. _Damn you Padfoot._ He thinks crossly.

It is nearly midnight now and Sirius still hasn't returned. This is very strange behavior for his best friend. Usually Sirius hated losing and would never walk away from a match until he has won. Getting tired of all the cackling going on around him James gets up to look for Sirius, for any of his friends for that matter, they all seemed to disappear. He can't spot any of them in the common room and wonders briefly if he missed some sort of cue that they had left the party.

Just as he was about to head up to the dormitory to get the map he hears Sirius' magically magnified voice ring out around the room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is nearly time. Give me a hand with the countdown to midnight!"

James looks around confused trying to find the source of his friend's voice. _Countdown to midnight?_

"Ten… Nine…" _Why is everyone counting down? Should I act like I am in on the joke?_

"Six… Five…" _What is going on!_

"Two..." _Could it be?_

"ONE!" Everyone shouts at the same time.

As the word reverberates around the room the decorations seem to change. Confetti falls from nowhere, streamers fly across the room in every direction, and what were moments ago posters of the Quidditch team and banners with motivational sayings are now brightly colored posters all with Birthday Wishes for James.

He is speechless. He didn't see this coming at all. He is astounded at what his friends pulled off without him catching on. He knows his jaw must be hanging open but he can't seem to shut it.

Suddenly Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, Mary and Beth appear in front of him and shout, "SURPRISE!"

"Wow! Mates, this is… wow!" He says unable to voice his gratitude.

"Well, the surprises aren't quite over yet." Remus says with a sly smile.

James opens his mouth to ask what else they could possibly have planned when Sirius booms out yet again in his magnified voice.

"All students under fifth year, it's time to head up to your dormitories!" He calls. A chorus of groans and complaints rise up at this. "Quit complaining, I don't care." Sirius tells them. "You don't have to go to bed, but you can't stay here!"

James smiles as Sirius and Mary usher the younger students up the stairs and Remus and Peter make age barriers to ensure that they don't sneak back down. James turns to say something to Beth but finds she is now missing. He looks at Lily and she points to the corner where she and Remus and Peter are now unveiling a large keg of mead.

"Ah, so that's why it took both Remus and Sirius to get drinks for this evening. Usually butterbeer doesn't take two people." He says glad that at least one thing, even if it is a trivial fact, makes sense.

"Here you go mate." Sirius says handing him and Lily both a glass of the mead. "Let the party begin!" He yells to the party at large.

"Hear, hear!" James calls draining his drink in one gulp. The crowd cheers with them and lines up for their own glasses.

"How did you pull this off without me noticing?" James asks his best friend.

"Wasn't me mate, the ladies planned the whole thing. They didn't even fill us in until Friday night. Need another Lily?" Sirius asks her as he goes to get himself and James another.

"No thanks, I am still working on the one you handed me thirty seconds ago." She says sarcastically.

James grins at her amazed. She and her friends had planned this whole party for him. She truly is the most amazing girl he's ever met.

"Do you like it?" She asks looking self-conscious.

"I love it, Lily. Really. It's the best birthday I've ever had and we are only twenty minutes into it."

"Good. I wanted to make sure you have just as wonderful and memorable birthday as you lot made mine."

"You know," he teases, "you are setting a standard now. I can't wait to see how you plan on topping this next year."

She smiles mischievously at him and gives him a much closer hug than she had after the match. The hug lingered just a moment too long, or in James' eyes an eternity too short. They break apart as Sirius and Mary return with their drinks.

"Come on, Beth and Remus set up a table over there." She tells them and they head over to where their friends sit.

James looks over at Lily sitting very close next to him, she smiles widely at him and he feels his heart expand in his chest. _Best. Birthday. Ever_.

* * *

Almost all the Gryffindor fifth years and above sleep in late on Sunday morning. Lily would have too if it weren't for her, Beth and Mary promising The Marauders they would spend the day with them on the Quidditch Pitch. She drags herself out of bed and after quite a lot of persuading gets Beth up. Mary is a lost cause, she threatens to hex Lily if she speaks to her again, so they let her be and make their very slow decent down to breakfast.

Lily can't remember a time when she drank so much. She has drunk before, but never that much.

She remembers telling James that she could drink just as much as he could, if not more so, after his pronouncement that blokes were just better at alcohol consumption. He took that as a challenge and they entered into a competition of some sort. Looking back she concedes that this probably wasn't her best decision, considering her head feels as if the giant squid grabbed a hold of it with one of his tentacles and is refusing to let go.

The fact that she lost horribly didn't make her feel any better about the decision either. She had matched him drink for drink for most of the night, but when they got to shots of Firewhiskey she had to back down. James, after all, has quite a bit more practice than she does. She sits down at the table and rests her head in her hands to keep the room from spinning.

"Morning ladies!" James says in a loud cheery voice, sitting across from them at the table.

"Don't you both look ravishing?" Sirius adds in an equally annoying, if not more so, chipper voice.

"Do me a favor, kick yourself in the arse. I don't think I have the energy to do it myself right now." Beth says resting her head on Lily's shoulder.

"How are you both so jovial? You drank at least double what I did James, and Sirius, if I recall correctly, James and Remus had to carry both you and Peter to your dormitory after you passed out." Lily points out still unable to remove her head from her hands for fear it might fall off her body.

James smirks and looks over to Sirius. "You think we should tell them? They've suffered enough."

"Yeah, let's put them out of their misery." Sirius agrees and points his wand at Beth and James raises his wand to Lily.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" She asks suddenly alarmed.

"Trust me." James says and she nods, but stops quickly as it makes the pounding worse. Then suddenly the pounding is gone, as is the nausea and the spinning, her eyes and ears now less sensitive. Instantly she feels better.

"What was that?" Lily asks looking at James as Beth too seems to be coming back to normal.

"Hang-over cure." He explains.

"How did you learn that?" Beth asks.

"Our dad taught us." Sirius explains.

"Remember how we once told you he found us drinking half his bar one night?" James asks Lily. She nods to let him know she remembers. "Well, it was two days before his and mum's fiftieth wedding anniversary and he didn't want her finding out we'd drank all the liquor just before a big party." James explains.

"She would have gone metal." Sirius adds.

"So, he taught us _Maddeleo._" James finishes. Both boys chuckled at the memory.

"I will never forget the look on Moony's face when dad poured us another Firewhiskey instead of wholloping us." Sirius says fondly. Lily smiles too. Though she wasn't there she can picture the scene they painted so colorfully for her and she finds it amusing.

"I was going to offer to walk you up to the Hospital Wing because you looked so ill when you walked in, but I can see now that I need not worry. _Potter_ is here to save the day." James and Sirius immediately stop laughing and Lily turns slowly in her seat to look up into Todd's angry face.

"Hi Todd!" She says slightly embarrassed at the presumption in his voice and also the unmistakable way he sneered James' name. "Yeah, James cleared me all up. I got a little carried away last night." She explains as she feels the heat rush to her cheeks.

"Right." He says stone faced. "Fancy a walk?" He asks.

"Uh, actually Todd, it's James' birthday you see, and we were planning on spending the day at Quidditch Pitch."

Lily can see Todd's irritation rising, but he can't be mad at her for wanting to spend time with one of her friends on his birthday. _Can he? _She wonders. Apparently he can.

"I thought we couldn't see each other last night because you were spending time with Potter for his birthday." He says barely containing his anger.

"Well." Lily begins slowly trying hard not to notice how uncomfortable James looks. "That was more of a celebration for Gryffindor's win. It didn't turn to James' birthday party until after midnight." She knows she is talking too much, giving too much information, but the words seem to come from her mouth without her permission or knowledge.

"How late were you up until?" He asks, eyes wide.

"I'm not sure, we were drinking pretty heavily, and then it turned into a sort of game, and then Sirius-" She suddenly cut herself off at the 'Stop talking now' looks James and Sirius were giving her. "Uh, it was just a party." She finishes lamely.

"A party. Right… right. Well, you spend the day with precious Potter on his ever so important birthday and I will just see you around." Todd says finally losing his cool and storming from the hall. She turns back around in her seat frowning.

"You don't have to spend the day with us, Lily. Really it's ok. You did more than your friendly duty last night." James says giving her a small smile.

_Am I imagining it or does he look hurt?_ She wonders.

"No James, I want to spend the day with you guys. I like it, we always have fun. Plus, Todd will get over it won't he? He can't be mad at me for spending time with my friends, right?" She asks and Beth gives her a slightly reproachful look. "What?" Lily asks.

"I don't think he should get mad at you for spending time with your friends, but I think he is." Beth tells her.

"But why?"

"Oh come on Lily, don't act dense." Beth says getting frustrated. "I'm going to wake Mary. We'll see you two down at the pitch in a bit." She says to Sirius and James before leaving the hall.

"Why is she mad?" Lily asks looking at the two boys.

James doesn't meet her eye but rises from the table. "Lily, go spend the day with Selwyn, I honestly don't mind." He says and he too leaves the hall. Lily looks over at Sirius flabbergasted.

"Look at it this way Lily, how would you feel if Selwyn stayed up late one night drinking with a pretty girl in his house and then refused to spend time with you next day because he had to be with her for her birthday? You may not want to admit it, but you would be jealous, no matter how good of friends they are." He says rising from the table. "Then try putting yourself in that girl's shoes. How do you think you'd feel if you caused one of your closest friends to fight with their girlfriend, and all you did wrong was have a birthday? Wouldn't you say that would put a damper on your special day? Being the cause of two other people's sadness?" He walks away then, not waiting for a response, knowing that he had made his point.

Lily sits for a moment longer mulling over his words. _He is absolutely right. Not only have I completely disregarded Todd's feelings on the situation, I also put James right in the middle for no reason. He shouldn't have to feel guilty for something he didn't do._

She rises from the table in search of Todd. She will apologize to him and invite him to spend the day with her and her friends on the Quidditch Pitch for James' birthday. Then she can apologize to James for putting him in the middle. _This way everyone wins_, she thinks hopefully. _Where did Todd go?_

After trying the Library, the Owlery, the Astronomy Tower and even having a fourth year check his dorm for her, she feels she is out of options. She can't think of any other possible place he could be. She is just about to give up when she hears voices coming from an unused classroom on the third floor. _I really need to stop overhearing people this way._ Lily thinks exasperatedly.

She intends to walk by quietly as to not disturb whoever is in there but as she gets nearer she recognizes Todd's voice and she freezes. Last time she had heard a familiar voice coming from an unused classroom… she shudders at the thought.

_Todd is in there right now with some girl, _she thinks angrily. _No, he wouldn't do that… would he?_ She second guesses herself and then lets out a sigh of relief when she hears Stebbins voice reply to Todd.

"I don't understand. How drunk was she?" He asks.

Lily inches closer to the door so she can hear better. She knows it is wrong to spy on people, especially her boyfriend who is obviously having a private conversation with his best friend. _But, they_ are_ talking about me._ She reasons.

"She just said they got a bit carried away last night. By the way she looked this morning, I'd say really drunk." Todd answers.

"And who is they?"

"Not sure exactly, she just said her and Potter stayed up late last night drinking, I am sure the others were there, but she didn't really include them."

"Yeah, I doubt they were alone at all. Cait told me this morning that when she went to bed the seven of them were all playing gobstones, but instead of it shooting that putrid goo at you, they made it so you'd get squirted with Firewhiskey. Sounds quite fun actually." Stebbins says with a laugh. Lily too almost lets out a laugh at the memory. It had been fun to try and catch the Firewhiskey in their mouths.

"You really think they are just friends? She doesn't actually fancy Potter, right?" Todd asks and Lily feels a fresh wave of guilt run through her.

"Course not." Stebbins replies. "She fancies you. Remember how she used to hate Potter. I reckon she still does, just feels bad for him after all that stuff with Dee. Cait says she is always looking for a charity case."

"Yeah. You're right, Joe. Potter is just another of her charity cases. Remember how she used to hang round Snape? Same thing, I bet. She'll move on from feeling bad about Potter soon enough. She is just too nice." Todd says sounding as if he is convincing himself.

The guilt Lily had been feeling is quickly replaced by anger. _How dare they say such things about me!_

_Is it true?_ A voice in the back of her mind asks. She turns away from the classroom. Suddenly apologizing to Todd doesn't seem like such an important thing.

_Do I only hang around James because I pity him? Is that the only reason I was friends with Severus? Do I think of them both as charity cases? Severus surely not, well, not at first anyway. I've known him since we were kids. He showed me who I truly am. I don't expect Todd, or anyone for that matter, to understand that relationship. I barely understand it myself. But James?_

Lily spots her friends at the Quidditch Pitch as planned and joins them. Mary and Beth sit in the stands watching the four boys fly around in a two-on-two game of Quidditch, enjoying the unusually warm March afternoon.

"So, what did Todd say?" Beth asks. And Mary listens in, clearly having already been filled in on the morning's events.

"I didn't talk to him, couldn't find him." Lily says only half lying. She didn't talked to him.

"Well, I'm sure you'll make up." Mary says and then a strange look crosses her face as she asks, "You do want to make up, right?"

_Do I? _Lily asks herself.

"Yes, I do." She answers Mary, but her mind is still skeptical. She is still angry about what he had said. "I will find him after dinner. He is probably just hiding in his dorm or something." Mary nods and they let the subject drop and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Lily walks back to the castle and she laughs with the others as Sirius steals Peter's broom. Peter then chases him and they continue to run around madly. Remus, Beth and Mary walk ahead, wanting to get to dinner but Lily hangs back with James waiting for their friends to calm down.

James tells her about how when all The Marauders would visit during the Summer how his dad would have to lock Sirius in his room to keep him from sneaking out and pulling night-time tricks on Peter while he slept. Lily laughs loudly at his anecdote.

_No. James isn't just some charity case to me. He makes me laugh and he cares about me, just as I care about him. We are friends and good friends at that. _She smiles up at him and he returns the gesture his hazel eyes shining as he does so. _Very good friends._

* * *

**A/N – See? Happy! **

**Let me know what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N - New chapter! As promised :)  
****  
**_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

The weekend after his birthday turns out to be pretty dull for James.

They had an Apparition lesson on Saturday, the last one before they take their test in Hogsmeade next weekend. James, Sirius and Remus, who are all eligible to take the test, had all managed to Apparate with little trouble and by the end of the last lesson were taking turns Apparating into each other hoops for a bit more of a challenge. Peter, who won't turn seventeen for another four months, still splinches himself whenever he tries. James isn't too worried about it though. He knows, just as it was for the Animagus transformation, Peter will get there on his own.

Sunday they spent all day planning their routes for the full moon the following day. Sirius suggests that they try to check out the mountains in hopes of finding some nearby hideouts or even a new secret passageway. They all agree and start to feel the excitement that only adventure can bring.

Monday night after dinner James sits with Peter and Sirius in the common room, waiting for the appropriate time when they can disappear and head out to meet Remus. Lily comes over and sits down across from James.

"I know you lot are planning on leaving here in a bit and I want to know if you will let me come with you."

James looks up at her staggered. _What does she mean come with us? She can't know, can she? Why would she want to come? She can't come! _ His mind is in a panic.

"Wha-" Peter splutters.

"You can't come with us." Sirius says shooting James an accusatory glare.

"Why not? I care about Remus. He told me that's why you sneak into Hogsmeade, to cover for his absence. I think I should be allowed to provide him with such a cover as well." She says defiantly.

James instantly relaxes. _She doesn't know. She still thinks we are only sneaking into Hogsmeade to excuse Moony's absence._

"I think that if Mary, Beth and I join you it will look a lot more natural. We all spend so much time together anyway, it just makes sense." She reasons.

"It makes no sense." Sirius tells her catching on just as quickly as James had.

"How doesn't it?" Lily asks him.

"Well, for one thing, you three have never come with us before, why would be suddenly start bringing you now? And," He says quickly before she can interrupt him. "How would we explain to Mary and Beth why we need to sneak out to excuse Remus' absence?"

Lily is silent for a moment. "Then just let me come."

"But you're a prefect." Peter says sounding shocked by her willingness to sneak out.

"So?" Lily shoots back at him. "I care about Remus too!"

James knows she cares. The fact that she is willing to sneak out for him is proof enough. But, she doesn't know the whole truth as to why they sneak out, and for that he knows she can't come. Even if she did know, he still wouldn't let her come. Sirius shakes his head at her and Peter becomes suddenly interested in his shoes. Lily looks directly at James.

"You have been awfully quite. What do you think about all this?" She says staring him in the eyes her face hopeful, as if she expects James to tell her that she can absolutely come with them and that his friends will just have to shove off. James deliberates for a moment and speaks slowly, knowing that she is not going to take his words too kindly.

"Lily, you can't come with us. This is a Marauder only thing. We know you care about Remus, that has never been doubted. But, it would be too suspicious. How would we explain it to Mary and Beth? Not to mention the amount of trouble you'd get in if we get caught." _Like that'd ever happen,_ he adds in his head. "The teachers expect it of us." He continues gesturing to Sirius, Peter and himself. "But you have a good reputation and Remus would never forgive himself if that got ruined because of him. I won't allow him to feel such guilt." James finishes with an apologetic look on his face, waiting for the explosion. She just stares at him for a moment, her expression unreadable.

"Wow." Is all she says before getting up and walking back over to where Beth and Mary sit across the room.

"What did that mean?" Peter asks dumbfounded. "Is she mad?"

"No idea Wormy, but if we have Filtch on our tails all night, we'll know she is pissed." Sirius laughs.

"Nah, she wouldn't give us up. She knows how important this is. Well not actually, but she knows we do it for Moony. And even if she doesn't mind us getting in trouble, she does mind if she hurts Moony."

"Yeah, come on we better go grab the cloak and the map, it's nearly time." Sirius says and they all three head up to their dormitory.

James glances at Lily once more to try and convey how sorry he feels but she isn't looking at him. _She'll get over it right?_

* * *

Lily sits in the common room alone, Mary and Beth having just went up to bed, telling her not to stay up much longer. Lily knows she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she tried. Her mind is still too jumbled.

_Why wouldn't they let me go?_ James' words from earlier had made sense, but they have never gotten caught before as far as Lily knows. _Am I that much of a hazard to bring? Do they think I can't keep up? Or is it just some kind of boy's club thing… no girls allowed? They are definitely hiding something. _She could tell by the way Sirius had reacted so quickly. _But what could they be hiding? I already know about Remus. What could possibly be a bigger secret thea that?_

Lily sat thinking for what seems like hours.

Last year, when Severus had hinted yet again that Remus is a werewolf Lily had thought he was just jealous, and it was his way to discredit The Marauders. Then she heard that James had saved Severus from the Whomping Willow she had thought it was pure nonsense, just another piece of gossip for the Hogwarts rumor mill. Now she sits here knowing that it is all true having heard it from Remus himself and she still doesn't trust The Marauders fully. They had let her in on an enormous part of their lives, and she has the audacity to question their motives. She is no better than Severus was.

Maybe they are hiding something, but, from the tone of finality in James' voice earlier, Lily knows that the prime reason she was denied from going is the risk of her getting caught and Remus blaming himself for it. James' secrets seem less important to him than Remus' guilt.

James is, no matter how cocky, selfless. He cares for his friend's happiness and well-being before his own. They all seem to. Lily can't think of a single time when they didn't defend one another or have each other backs. She wishes she had something like that, a friendship like The Marauders. They act more like a brothers than friends, and in Sirius and James' case, they pretty much are brothers.

_So what if they don't want to tell me all their secrets? I shouldn't expect any of them to break that trust. I have no right. But, if I could only get Remus on his own, I know he will tell me. He almost told me that day in the Hospital Wing before James interrupted._

When Lily finally heads up to bed the fire had died and the Marauders still hadn't returned. _They really do commit to their act, _she thinks. _Probably getting drunk in the Forbidden Forest. _Then she laughs at her own thought. _Even they aren't stupid enough to go into the Forbidden Forest at night_

-J-3-L-

Lily wakes late the next morning and curses herself as she runs to Herbology so as not to be late. She had meant to wake early and go talk to Remus in the Hospital Wing before class, but now it would have to wait until lunch.

She sits down just as the bell rings and tries to avoid James, Sirius and Peter's eyes. She looks up and sees that they look extremely worn with dark circles under their eyes. _Did they not go to sleep at all last night?_ She wonders.

Lily knows it isn't fair for her to demand to know all their secrets. They have no reason to tell her. But she feels like they are intentionally keeping her out of the loop, and that is insulting. She knows these are irrational things to feel, but her curiosity always wins out over rationality.

She tries hard not to focus on their conversation in case she talks herself out of her resolve. She chats with Mary and answers The Marauders cordially if they address her and when the bell signaling the end of the lesson rings she is the first one out of the greenhouse.

She hears Sirius mutter to James as she rushes by them, "Told you she wouldn't get over it."

Lily grabs a sandwich from the Great Hall and rushes up to the Hospital Wing.

"I just need to give him his Herbology assignment, I swear, I will be ten minutes." She begs Madam Pomfrey.

Shaking her head the matron lets Lily in and heads back to her office muttering about how he needs rest.

"Are you decent?" Lily asks him before stepping around his curtain.

"I'd like to think so, but I can never be sure." He says laughing at his own joke. She gives him a small smile as she takes the seat next to his bed.

"You didn't just come to give me homework did you?" Remus says knowingly.

"Uh, no." Lily admits.

"And I'm guessing you aren't here to see how I am doing, as you haven't yet asked." He points out, almost angrily. A wave of guilt sweeps through Lily.

"Oh Remus, I am so sorry, of course I am concerned with your well-being. How tactless…" she begins but he cuts her off.

"What I find more upsetting is how little you think of me, Lily. Do you really think you can just walk in here and be polite and I will spill all of my friend's deepest secrets to you?" He asks glaring at her.

Lily looks down at her shoes, ashamed. "How did you-"

"James came to see me for breakfast. He always does on weekdays." Remus answers before she can finish asking the question. "He told me of the request you made of them yesterday. While I find it gallant that you want to help me, I also know you are not unintelligent. You had to know it would be a bad idea for you to join them. You just wanted to know what they got up to, which I can understand. But it does hurt me that you tried to use me as an excuse to find out instead of just asking them straight out." He finishes looking away from Lily who has hot tears forming in her eyes.

He hadn't shouted at her, or even raised his voice, yet she feels ashamed and embarrassed and just plain awful. How arrogant of her to assume Remus would just betray his friends and tell her everything just because she wanted to know. How smug of her to assume she deserves to know, that somehow she is owed an explanation. How appalling of her to use Remus like a pawn. _What is wrong with me?_

"I am so… so sorry Remus. I don't know what I was thinking."

He turns his head back to her. "You were thinking that I am the weak one, the chink in the armor at which you can penetrate. I understand that assessment I guess."

"No, Remus -" He holds up his hand to stop her.

"I don't want you to make the mistake that I would betray my friends again. I will never betray their trust. This is their secret to tell. And I am sure James will tell you when he is ready."

Lily nods, only vaguely registering that he singled James out.

"Now, I really must rest." He says and Lily can tell by his tone that she has over stayed her welcome.

"I don't think of you as the weak one, Remus, honestly. I just wasn't thinking. I'm truly sorry, Moony." He smiles at the nickname.

"I appreciate that, Lily. You better get going. You don't want to be late for Transfiguration. I hear you need all help you can get."

She smiles at his teasing. They will be ok now, Lily knows. He has forgiven her for her presumptions and he will tell his friends to do the same. But, she should try to make it up to him anyway.

* * *

On the last day of term before the Easter Holiday James sits in the back of the Charms classroom with his friends around him playing a game of exploding snap. Flitwick had told them to use the lesson for extra practice and review. In theory it makes sense, giving students a chance to get some help, but in reality it usually is just a time for the students to play games.

"So, what is everyone doing over break?" Mary asks the group at large.

"I promised my mum I'd help with some stupid Spring Fling Auction the Ministry is hosting." Beth says.

"My mum's involved with that too!" Mary says excitedly. "Now I'm willing to help too!" She laughs.

"I'm not doing anything special." Peter says. "My mum is inviting some family to stay, might be alright. She likes me to spend holidays at home. Says she doesn't see enough of me as it is." He shrugs. Everyone nods. They all know how fussy and over-bearing Peter's mother can be.

"Well, my dad promised me he will take me to the England game next week." Remus says his face lighting up. "Should be a good match." They all agree jealously.

National Quidditch matches are usually a big affair for most people, and they are always fun. Remus deserves a good time with his dad, especially because their relationship could be so tense at times. Ever since his mum passed away they have been on the outs.

"Prongs and I signed up to stay here. We couldn't bear the thought of leaving Hogwarts when we haven't played a good prank on her in ages." Sirius says. "She'll think we don't love her anymore."

"What about you, Lily?" James asks after everyone had finished laughing at Sirius' pronouncement.

"I'm staying behind too, though not for nearly as respectable reason as you two." She mocks. "My family is going skiing in the Alps. I don't care much for skiing so I said I'd stay behind that way I don't put a damper on their fun."

James stares at her for a moment. He can tell she is lying. He remembers her telling him how she had went skiing in the Alps with her family on holiday when she was young and how she wished to go back if she ever had the money. He remembers it clearly because at the time the idea of skiing fascinated him. Strapping two pieces of wood to your feet and sliding down a mountain? Muggles really do think of the strangest things to entertain themselves.

James doesn't call her out on her lie though. She has the right to keep secrets if she wishes. Merlin knows he does. It would be hypocritical for him to demand her to tell him when he had many, and most likely far worse, secrets he wouldn't share with her.

"Are you guys nervous about the test tomorrow?" Beth asks. Tomorrow Lily, Remus, Sirius and himself will be taking their Apparition tests.

"Yes, do you think you have enough Deliberation, Desperation and Dedication? Or whatever the hell they are." Mary chuckles.

"I think we will do fine." Remus says.

"I know that I have the desperation down." James laughs adding to her obvious mockery of the 'Three D's of Apparition'.

"Well, all three of you have more than enough dedication." Lily says in an off-hand tone.

James can tell that Mary and Beth both think Lily is being sarcastic by this comment, but he can't help but feel it is a dig at The Marauders and their friendship. He looks over at Sirius and sees by the slight frown on his face he shares in this view. Peter too looks put out, but Remus laughs. _Odd reaction,_ James thinks. He smiles at his friend. Remus is more often than not worrying about things he shouldn't or feeling guilty for things out of his control, so it is nice to see him in a good mood.

The bell rings and James and his friends grab their things and head for the Great Hall for lunch.

"Hey guys! Fun lesson don't you think?" Selwyn says catching up with them trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, nothing more fun than that." Mary says sarcastically. "Here Lily, I'll take your bag." She says and Lily hands it over.

"Thanks! I'll see you at lunch." Lily says and waves to them as they walk away.

"So, they made up then?" Sirius asks when they are out of ear shot.

"Yeah, they just hit a rough patch." Beth answers.

"She can do better." Mary says stubbornly.

Everyone knows that Mary hasn't approved of Lily's relationship ever since Slughorn's Valentine's Day party. She voices this opinion often. James thinks she has a point though. Lily can do better. Selwyn seems pig-headed and pompous. He has this air about him that make you think he thinks he's better than everyone else. It's a trait you ordinarily find in Slytherins. _But if Lily likes him then he must have some redeeming qualities that I can't see_, James tells himself.

-L-3-J-

James, Sirius and Remus say goodbye to Mary, Beth and Peter in the Entrance Hall the day of the test.

"Good luck guys!" Mary says giving each one of them a hug and Beth follows doing the same.

"You'll do great I know it." Beth adds.

"See you later." Peter says and the three of them turn and head up the marble staircase back to the common room.

James watches out of the corner of his eye as Lily gives Selwyn a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before coming to join her follow Gryffindors. James can't help but smile as he sees the jealous look Selwyn shoots at him. He knows that Lily said all is well with their relationship, but he can't help but think she looks less enthusiastic about spending time with him than she used to.

"Ready?" James asks her when she reaches them.

"Sure am." She confirms and the four of them make their way up the familiar path to Hogsmeade. It is a nice spring day but the clouds begin to roll in as they walk. _I hope we get the test over with before it starts raining,_ he thinks.

James freezes when they reach the meeting place for the test. He had almost forgotten that students in other houses would also be taking the test today.

Snape, Mulciber, Rosier and Burke stand in a group far away from everyone else. Primrose Flume and Albert Jorkins stand hand-in-hand talking Primrose's best friend Annie Bones. And as he spots them James' heart sinks. Dee and her twin brother Dennis with Stebbins and Natalie Edgecombe close by.

James hasn't been in this close of proximity to Dee since she had smacked him in the face the day after Slughorn's party. He notices Dennis glaring at him and Dee pointedly looking in the opposite direction. _This isn't going to be the carefree afternoon I'd been hoping for._

Twicross begins to tell them how the test will work, what they will need to do to pass. James listens closely, not wanting to make any mistakes. He tells them he will call them in alphabetical order and when they finished their test they are free to enjoy their time in Hogsmeade until five o'clock, when they will need to meet in the Three Broomsticks to receive their results.

James feels slightly relieved. Dee and Dennis will both be done with their test first and won't be hanging around to watch him and make him nervous. No such luck though. They both decided to wait around for Stebbins.

Sirius takes his turn and passes with ease. He too sits down to wait. _Will everyone do this?_ James wonders.

On Lily's turn Twicross actually squeals in delight at her perfect execution. Sirius rolls his eyes at her as she takes a seat on the bench next to him. When Remus passes with flying colors he and Sirius head off to Zonko's to stock up calling good luck wishes to James. Lily comes to stand with James as he waits.

She places her hand softly on his forearm and whispers, "Don't worry, you'll do great. They are just trying to wind you up. Don't let them." Nodding over to where Dee, Dennis and Stebbins stand muttering viciously and glaring at the pair of them. He nods his acknowledgement as his name is called.

James approaches the test point and watches Mulciber stalk away, he had forgotten his left ear when he took his turn.

"I would like you to please Apparate to the upstairs of the Three Broomsticks, grab me a pamphlet and return to this exact spot please." Twicross tells him.

James smirks at him. _This is going to be a breeze. _He thinks, and it is.

After completing his task he returns to where Lily stands clapping silently for him. He gives her a fake bow and they walk over to the Three Broomsticks to wait for everyone else to join them. The pub is nearly empty with only two other tables of people.

"I'll get us some butterbeer, we need to toast this." James says smiling widely. She returns the smile and goes to get them a table.

"'Ello dear, where is the rest of your little gang? Ditch them for a girl did you?" Rosmerta asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah, Lily is just a friend."

"Just a friend, eh? Last time I saw just a couple of friends sitting at that table was when Albus was in here with his friend Elphias."

James nearly blushes when he notices which table Lily had selected. It is the most secluded table in the pub and is very dimly lit. He understands what Rosmerta means. That table is the prime spot for kissing couples to go unnoticed. He is sure Lily wouldn't have known this. It isn't something that girls usually take into account.

"It's not like that. Sirius and Remus are here too, they just went across the road to Zonko's." He tells her. She gives him a nod.

"Need more aids to achieve your mischief do you?" She asks in a fake stern voice.

"You know you love our mischief. Rosie." He winks at her and carries the two butterbeers back to the table where Lily waits.

* * *

Lily sits with James in the Three Broomsticks waiting for five o'clock to come around so they can get their licenses and leave. But, in all honesty she is having a wonderful time.

She is laughing at yet another of his many anecdotes when she notices a group of people entering the pub. Snape followed closely by his Slytherin cronies. Lily looks away from them. She hasn't seen him in here since they had stopped being friends.

Severus and this particular group of Slytherins usually spend their time in the Hogshead. _I hope they don't see us. A_d as if hearing this thought, Snape turns to look over at where she and James sit, James still chuckling.

James, who isn't facing the door, hadn't seen them arrive. Lily is grateful for this. _Hopefully James won't notice them and they will just leave without starting anything._

Snape sneers at her as all three boys take a few steps closer. "Well, well what have we here?" Mulciber asks in a carrying whisper. James whips around quickly looking angry at the voice.

"Let's go to the Hogshead, I forgot about the filth they let in this place." Snape says with a contemptuous look at James.

Rosmerta drops the mug she is cleaning in shock at the nasty words and stares at him in disgust.

James' hand shoots to his robes, reaching for his wand, half raising from his chair before Lily places a warning hand on his shoulder to stop him. James slowly sits back down and she gives him a warm smile. Snape leads his cohorts out of the pub once they are sure there is no fight to be had.

Rosmerta lets out a 'tsk' of disapproval before continuing on washing mugs.

"I'm not used to backing down from a fight." James tells her looking at the table.

"No?"

"No. I didn't care for it much." He muses.

"You didn't back down from a fight, you prevented a fight." She tells him.

"Still, I should have hexed him into oblivion. I hate when he says things like that, especially to you."

"I know you do, but you have to know he only says things like that because he knows it gets to you. He gets all the satisfaction if you attack him." James nods in agreement still looking glum. She can see that it was still bugging him that he didn't defend her.

"I know it took a lot of restraint for you not to act. I am very proud of you." She tells him admiringly. He seems to swell with pride as his eyes meet hers.

"Thank you." He says giving her one of his cocky grins. She can't remember why she used to hate it when he did that.

"Well, isn't this cozy." Says the annoying nasally voice of Danielle Abbott.

Neither Lily nor James had noticed the three Hufflepuffs enter the pub and approach their table.

Lily couldn't remember putting her hand on James' forearm, but there it lays, her thumb rubbing soft circles into his skin. She pulls it back guiltily. _What am I doing? I have a boyfriend! _ She mentally reprimands herself.

James, it seems, had frozen at the sound of Danielle's voice. Lily doubts he has so much as looked at Danielle since that evening in the Entrance Hall and yet here they are, suddenly in very close proximity. Lily can't imagine what must be running through his head

"I think Todd will be extremely interested to know that his supposed _girlfriend_ is alone in a secluded corner of a pub cozying up to another bloke, don't you Joe?" Dennis asks.

"I think he will Den." Stebbins answers. "I am extremely interested myself." He adds.

Lily has never really got on well with Todd's friends. They were all smug and snobby. Also, spending time with Dennis meant that she would have to spend time with Danielle, and Lily would rather eat bouber tuber puss than spend a second longer then she has to with her.

"So, what Lily isn't allowed to comfort a friend now?" James asks in Lily's defense. She's grateful. She couldn't think of a response.

"It looks to be a lot more than comforting a friend to me." Danielle says in a jealous tone.

_You have no right to be jealous_. _James dumped you because you are a horrid bitch_. Lily thinks. She isn't sure why, but this girl sends her temper over the edge just by opening her mouth.

"You need to get your eyes checked then." Lily shoots at her.

"You think Todd will see it as you just comforting a friend when I tell him how you were groping Potter's arm?" Dennis asks in a threatening voice.

"Or how you haven't been able to keep your hands off him since we got into Hogsmeade? Touching him at every opportunity you get?" Stebbins adds mercilessly.

Lily knows she is blushing now but she can't help it. _I have touched him a lot today unintentionally. But there is just something about his muscular –_

James cuts off her train of thought as he says, "And how do you think he'll feel when he finds out that his three best mates are intentionally blowing an innocent situation out of proportion just to break him and his girlfriend up? I mean I knew Dee had no morals, but I thought better of you Dennis. And I thought you, at least, cared enough about your friend not to hurt him over nothing, Stebbins." He says looking disgusted.

Lily feels her heart lift at James' words. _He really does come to my defense in any situation._

Danielle looks extremely angry at being accused of having no morals and Dennis looks ashamed but Stebbins seems determined. "I still say this isn't as innocent as you two claim it to be."

"You believe what you want Stebbins, but Todd knows he can trust me. He is fine with me spending time with my friends and comforting them when they need it. He is completely secure in this relationship, no matter what_ you_ may think." She finishes, only half believing her own words.

"Maybe." Stebbins concedes. "Let's leave these two to their _comforting._" He gestures for the others to follow him as he leaves.

* * *

James and Lily sit in silence for a few moments after the ambush before he breaks it.

"I am so sorry, Lily. I always seem to cause such grief in your relationship. I don't mean to. I just enjoy spending time with you, but if Selwyn and his mates have an issue with it then I'm really ok with it if you want to spend less time with me."

He knows he is rambling, but he wants to let her know he will do whatever would make her happiest, but it is coming out all wrong.

"I didn't mean that like, I want you to want to spend less time with me. I just meant if you didn't want to spend so much time with me… I am going to stop talking now because I sound like a prat." He says hanging his head in his hands at the utter failure this conversation was turning out to be.

She smiles at him and starts to laugh. "How is it that I can be so upset and angry about something and all you have to do is ramble on stupidly and you cheer me right up?" Lily asks laughing hysterically now.

James smiles slightly, a little taken aback by her laughter. _Has she cracked?_

"To answer your convoluted question, I don't want to spend less time with you, James. I like spending time with you – with all The Marauders. You always know how to cheer me up and you stick up for me when I need it. You are my friend. One of the best I've ever had." She adds thoughtfully. "Todd understands this. And if he doesn't, he will. That lot," she says waving in the direction of the door, "never liked me, and to be honest, I don't like them much either."

James smiles at her, she rambles on quite a bit herself. "Good, I don't like them either." He tells her.

Remus and Sirius arrive then with two large bags of Zonko's products. James sits up a little straighter, he hadn't realized it but he and Lily had been unconsciously leaning into each other during their conversation.

"What are you sitting back here for?" Sirius asks.

James knows why Sirius is confused by their seating choice, but he doesn't want Lily to be clued in, just in case it embarrasses her.

"Sorry mate, let's move to a bigger table with more chairs." James says giving him a 'drop it' look.

"Alright, we'll get more drinks while you switch." Remus says looking suspicious.

"No, this round is on me, I owe you for my behavior at the beginning of the week." Lily says and goes up to the bar.

"She seems chipper." Sirius comments.

"Yeah Prongs, what have you been giving her?" Remus jokes.

James smiles and quickly recounts the events of the afternoon to his friends. When he gets to the part where Lily began laughing like a maniac Sirius says, "I'm telling you mates, all women are bonkers." Remus and James chuckle at this.

"She does seem to like us though." Remus says and then looks over to where Lily is now pleading with Rosmerta. "I wonder what is taking so long, do you think she hasn't got enough gold?" He asks quietly, almost apologetically.

Just then Rosmerta lets out a loud laugh and begins getting the drinks ready for Lily. Lily returns and hands them all a bottle of butterbeer.

"Before you take a sip I want to make a toast, but be warned this is firewhiskey not butterbeer. I convinced Rosmerta to put it in butterbeer bottles so that we won't get caught. She almost didn't do it, but once I told her I had to make penitence to you three she laughed and made it happen." Lily says excitedly.

She looks so pleased with herself, obviously very proud that she broke the rules and is going to get away with it. James doesn't want to burst her bubble by informing her that Rosmerta has served them firewhiskey for years and they never had to hide it in a butterbeer bottle. Besides, now that they are all seventeen they can legally drink firewhiskey if they want, but it was probably against some Hogwarts rule still.

James smiles across the table at her. "That is brilliant, Lily. Thanks you." He winks and nudges Remus who is sitting next to him.

"Yeah nice job, Lily. I am very impressed." Remus adds, trying to hide his amusement.

They both look to Sirius who seems like he is about to burst from holding in his laughter. "Sorry mates, I just can't do it. It's too funny." He says laughing gleefully.

"What is?" Lily asks, her smile faltering.

"Uh, well, we get firewhiskey here all the time." James admits shamefaced.

"Rosmerta's been serving us it for years." Remus adds.

"Oh, that's why she finally caved. Because I told her it was for you lot." Lily surmises.

"Yeah, she's got a soft spot for Sirius here. Says he reminds her of herself at our age, same spunky spirit." Remus says with a chuckle.

"It used to be something of a joke between us." James tells her.

Lily looks put out that her surprise turned out not to be all that surprising after all.

"Well, let's hear that toast." Sirius prompts her raising his bottle. James and Remus follow suit.

"Ok, don't laugh though, because I am completely serious here." She tells them.

"Actually, I am Sirius." Sirius says and James and Remus groan at the far over used joke.

"We won't laugh, Lily." James assures her and she smiles at him.

"To The Marauders, may your friendship always be as strong as your jokes are funny and may your hearts always be as open as your minds. I hope to one day be as brave and loyal as you are, and that I will be able to defend and protect my friends with the same passion that seems to drive you." She finishes and they clink their bottles together before all taking a drink.

Lily coughs a little but the liquid goes down smoothly for the others. It feels strange for Lily to be toasting The Marauders when Peter, who is one-fourth of the whole, isn't present, but he would have been if he could have been.

"And to Lily Evans." Sirius says raising his bottle once more and the others follow. "The only bird to ever make her way into The Marauders hearts and minds. May she forever be as kind, compassionate, and loyal, always looking out for our better interest. However, may she be a bit more lenient on the rules." Sirius laughs as Lily hits him playfully on the shoulder before continuing. "We hope to one day be able to care about the well-being of others the way that you do." He finishes and they all once more clink glasses.

James looks over at Lily as he takes a drink. She looks like she has tears in her eyes. James couldn't believe that Sirius had made such a touching speech. He never thought Sirius particularly cared for having Lily and the other girls around all the time. _She must have grown on him._ He guesses. His words did seem extremely genuine.

The four of them spend the rest of the afternoon talking and when five o'clock rolls around Twicross arrives to hand them each their certificates that show they passed the course. They thank him and head back to the castle.

Lily falls into step with James as they walk letting Remus and Sirius walk slightly ahead of them. Her hand occasionally brushes James' and when it does he feels a bolt of electricity shoot through his body. She does nothing to stop the brief encounters, nor does he. He wonders if she feels the same rush of excitement run through her as he did at each touch.

When they reach the Entrance Hall Lily sighs. "I better go find Todd. Tell him what really happened this afternoon before the others get to him."

James waves to her as she walks up the marble staircase, long red hair dancing down her back. _Merlin, she is gorgeous. _James thinks before heading into the Great Hall with the others for dinner.

As he eats James reflects on the day.

Lily had stayed back to wait for him to finish the exam. She didn't have to, she could have gone off with Annie and Primrose or even Sirius and Remus, but she stayed back and whispered words of encouragement to him instead. Then when they went to the Three Broomsticks she had walked past dozens of open tables and picked the most private one for them to sit at. She also had touched him several times on the arm and shoulder.

Then there were the things she said, she had told him she was proud of him and that he is brave and that she admires his morals. She defended him to her boyfriend's friends and had insulted his ex-girlfriend. She told him she likes spending time with him and that he is one of her closest friends. She toasted him and his friends and said she wishes she could be more like them. James can't help but be happy. Lily may not know it, or even show it in a direct way, but he is pretty sure that she has feelings for him. And knowing this is the best feeling in the world.

He finally has a chance with her.

* * *

**A/N – ****Let me know what you think. I love the feedback.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N – For those of you who have shown your lovely support, here is a long chapter for you. **** I hope you like it!**

_Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Letters and Notes will be in bold.**

* * *

Lily sits in the deserted common room reading a book when the portrait hole opens and James and Sirius enter, apparently arguing.

"I am telling you she winked at me!" Sirius says.

"Maybe she had something in her eye." James suggests as they take the two empty arm-chairs next to Lily's.

"Who winked at you?" Lily asks interested.

"This absolute fox Slughorn was walking around with."

"She's got to be a Slug Club alumnus, I vaguely recognize her from the paper." James tells her.

"Ah, and she winked at you?" Lily says to Sirius in a mocking tone.

"Laugh if you want, but I bet we have loads in common."

"Like the Slug Club?" James asks and Lily laughs. She enjoys being part of their friendly repartee.

Sirius makes some inappropriate comments about what some people would do to get into the Slug Club and Lily finds herself nearly crying from laughter. If she had any skepticism about staying behind for the Easter holidays before, it is completely erased now. She knows she made the right choice. She will be much happier here with James and Sirius to keep her spirits up than she would have been with Petunia and her awful fiancé.

Lily, James and Sirius spend most of their time leading up to Easter this way. Playing games or spending time on the grounds. Chatting and laughing. Lily is having a wonderful time.

On Easter Sunday, Lily sits down to dinner with James and Sirius at the long singular table in lieu of the house tables. She looks around and notices that there aren't many other students that had stayed behind. Apart from her, Sirius and James there were two Gryffindor third years, five total Ravenclaws, three Hufflepuffs and one Slytherin who sits all by herself at the very end of the table.

James hands Lily an egg and she opens it enthusiastically, revealing a Gryffindor hat inside. James' egg held a pair of Gryffindor slippers in the shape of lions and Sirius receives a pair of Gryffindor underpants that send both Lily and James into fits of giggles.

The three friends make their way back up to their common room after the feast. They barely get to the second floor before one of the Ravenclaw girls approaches them. She looks to be no older than fourth year and must be very bold as she asks, "Hi Sirius, fancy a walk?"

Sirius gives her an appraising look and accepts. James and Lily turn away to hide their amusement and continue on alone.

"He sure does see a lot of action." Lily comments.

"Yeah, I sometimes think too much." James laughs. "Poor bloke, if he continues on at this rate he'll be burnt out by the time he's twenty."

They reach the portrait hole and the Fat Lady smiles at them.

"Good evening James, where did Sirius run off too?" She asks fluttering her eye lashes.

"Has himself a date tonight, beautiful. But I'm here." He says with a wink. The Fat Lady blushes crimson.

"Violet says she will be stopping by this evening. I think she is hoping you two would pop by as well. It has been so long and you know how she likes to chat with Sirius." She tells him.

"Sound good, gorgeous." The Fat Lady grins. Lily looks at James with a smirk. He's truly an excellent schmoozer.

"Lily and I have actually some studying to get to, can't very well see your lovely face every day if we've been chucked out."

"Yes, of course dear. Password?" Lily half expected her to forget about the password.

"Rooks."

"Right you are, Lily. Have fun you two." She says before swinging open.

"She sure likes you." Lily remarks after the portrait door swings shut.

"Yeah, it's always a good idea to stay on her good side." James tells her as he lounges across one of the couches.

Lily nudges him to move over so that she too can sit. "Why is that?"

"You may find that at three in the morning, when you are completely pissed, that you can't always remember passwords. Also, if you keep on her good side she doesn't go around telling teachers or Filtch when you sneak out at night." James tells her wisely.

Lily laughs along with him for a moment and is about to ask if he knows her real name when a tap comes at the window. James gets up to let the tawny owl in and Lily realizes it is the same owl he had sent to her on Christmas.

"It's Easter Eggs from my mum. She must have sent them late. Oh no – it looks like she's included one for you too." He says sounding embarrassed.

"Really?" Lily says jumping up and joining him by the window.

She hovers next to him as he opens the letter. Lily can see the letter from her spot next to him and debates whether or not to read it. She isn't sure he would want her to see it. It is, after all, a personal letter from his mother. But her curiosity wins out yet again and she pretends to examine the eggs as she reads the words.

**Jamie,**

**Sorry if Hamlet gets this to you late. I had him drop off Remus' and Peter's eggs first.**

**I don't want to hear any complaints this year that Sirius' egg is bigger than yours. They are the exact same size I even had your father measure.**

**I have also included an egg for Lily. You said she was staying behind as well. She deserves a reward for putting up with the two of you.**

**Sirius mentioned in his last letter that you both passed your apparition test. Congratulations! We are so proud of you both. But don't go getting big heads though. Apparition is still very dangerous.**

**Don't forget to do some studying over break and don't give Lily a hard time. If you do she may stop speaking to you again and I will never get to meet this fiery red-head with stunning green eyes that you talk so much about.**

**Have a Happy Easter and a wonderful holiday.**

**All our love,  
****Mum and Dad**

Lily smiles. Mrs. Potter seems to have a good sense of humor, just like James. And she talks about Sirius as if he is her son as well, not just her son's best friend. James hands Lily the box containing her egg then and she smiles at him. It was only slightly smaller than his.

"She must try harder for girls." James muses.

"What do you mean?" She asks him.

"Well, she has made me and the other Marauders eggs since first year and none of them have ever been this extravagant." He explains as Lily opens the box and unveils a beautifully crafted bottle green egg with gold trimmings.

"It's spectacular. I have never seen something so… I love it." She surmises. He smiles at her a slight blush on his cheeks.

"She will be glad to hear it. I talked about you over Christmas and it seems as if she remembers." James admits.

Lily smiles to herself. By the sound of Mrs. Potter's letter James had talked about her more than just over Christmas. Lily doesn't know why but it's nice to know that James has told his parents about her. _I wonder if they know I'm Muggle-born. _She frowns down at her egg. _Maybe Mrs. Potter only sent me this because she thinks I am pure-blood like them._

"These eggs aren't going to eat themselves." James says. He grabs her hand and leads her back to the couch. He doesn't let go of her even after they are seated and Lily makes no effort to remove her hand from his. "I'm a little nervous to see what she put in your egg. She usually goes all out, so she might have just bought you one of everything she could find." He says with a chuckle.

"What does she do for you and the others?"

"I get treacle fudge and chocolate frogs. Sirius gets Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans, loads of them and Jelly Slugs. Remus gets Fizzing Wizzbees and Peter usually gets Droobles." James tells her.

"I wonder what she thinks I'll like best." Lily ponders aloud.

"Only one way to find out." He tells her and she finally removes her hand from his and opens the egg.

Inside is an assortment of Aero chocolate bars. Not only the original but also mint, caramel, dark chocolate, white chocolate, crispy, and strawberry. Lily is amazed. _How on earth did Mrs. Potter get ahold of all these Aero bars? _ She wonders. _When is the last time I have ever even had an Aero bar? Has to be before I came to Hogwarts. _Lily immediately opens a crispy bar and starts eating.

"You like it?" James asks.

"I love it." Lily confirms.

"Good, I was a bit nervous. Mum is fascinated with learning things about Muggles so I was worried she may have given you something strange."

Then it hits her. _Mrs. Potter has to know I am Muggle-born if she got me all this Muggle candy._ The thought pleases her.

"Fascinated is probably the wrong word. She just is interested. They didn't have Muggle Studies in her day, so she never got the chance to learn. I had to stop her from writing you over Christmas to invite you for tea. She just wants to know everything there is to know about Muggle traditions and such. Sorry, I realize this is probably offending you. I don't mean to offend you. She doesn't think you are some kind of weird animal that she can study or anything. This is coming out all wrong. She doesn't – She is a good person." He continues to babble.

James is afraid that he might have offended Lily by revealing that his mother is interested in Muggles. _He wasn't ashamed to tell his mother that I am Muggle-born and she, unlike most of the pure-blood community, doesn't hate Muggles. _Lily smiles as she places her hand over his mouth the stop him from talking.

"You're babbling." She tells him and laughs as he closes his mouth instantly.

She removes her hand as she says, "I'm not offended at all. I think it is wonderful that your mother wants to know more about Muggles. I'm sorry you stopped us from having tea, it sounds like it would be very interesting."

James smiles at her. "Sorry, I get a little nervous around that subject. I just want to make sure you know that no one I associate with or spend any sort of time with would ever do or say anything to hurt you in that way." He tells her.

Lily feels butterflies fluttering in her stomach at his words. "I know, James."

"So, what is an Aro?" James asks her picking up one of candy bars.

"Aero." Lily corrects. "And they are my favorite Muggle sweet. Try one." She prompts and he looks suspiciously at the wrapper.

"What does it do?" He asks.

"It doesn't _do_ anything. It is just candy." She tells him and laughs at the look he makes after biting into a dark chocolate one. "I never much liked the dark chocolate myself."

She's surprised by how much she enjoys introducing James to Muggle chocolate.

* * *

James and Lily have a good time testing out all the different flavors of the Aero bars.

"I think the crispy one has to be my favorite." He tells her.

"Mine too." She agrees. "I remember the first time I ever had the crispy bar." She tells him.

"Tell me about it." He prompts, turning to face her looking interested.

She obliges, beginning the story with when her parents had taken her and Petunia to the zoo. She has to explain the concept of a zoo to him several times, as he has never heard of such a thing and finds it fascinating.

"Well anyways, my parents had told us we weren't allowed to have any candy because we may drop it or try to feed it to the animals or something. But while we were eating lunch Petunia and I pretended we had to go to the loo but instead we convinced this older kid to buy us a chocolate bar. We had just wanted the regular but he brought us back the crispy. Petunia was angry and when she tried it she hated it, but I thought it was the best Aero bar I had ever eaten. I quickly ate the whole thing and then we returned to our table. The only problem was that I had forgotten to wipe the chocolate from my face. We got into to terrible trouble." She finishes her story.

"See you really are a rule breaker deep down." James teases her and she frowns and turns away from him looking upset. _What happened? She seemed so happy just a moment ago. What did you do now James? _He asks himself.

"What's the matter?" He asks her placing his hand on hers in what he hopes is a comforting way.

"Nothing." She says looking around the room trying to hide the tears in her eyes. There was no one else in the room though. Sirius hadn't returned from his date yet and the other two Gryffindors who stayed behind for break had already gone up to bed.

"You don't have to tell me," James begins in a soft voice, "but if you want to talk about it, I am more than willing to listen. Despite what you may have heard, I am quite good at it."

She gives him a weak sort of smile. "You don't want to hear about it. It's not that good of a story. I don't want to waste your time."

_Does she really think that I wouldn't want to hear anything she has to say? _ He wonders.

"Lily, you could sit there and say nothing but a bunch of nonsense words for a half hour and I will still be sitting here listening raptly. I'm always interested in what you have to say, you can never waste my time." He tells her honestly.

She smiles at him a little wider this time. "Ok, but I warned you."

And she launches into the story of how she and her sister Petunia were best friends when they were little. How once she found out that she is a witch Petunia had shunned her and thought of her as a freak. She explains how her parents never quite knew what to say or do about it. They claimed that Petunia would get over it eventually, but she hasn't. She tells him how she tries her hardest to reconnect with her sister but it never seems good enough.

James listens intently and tries to comfort her best he can when she starts to cry. He conjures a pocket hanky for her, pulls her into his chest and strokes her hair softly as she sobs into his shoulder. He loves the feeling of her so close to him. She feels so warm in his arms, her head seemingly fitting perfectly on his chest, her hair so soft and smells so fruity. He wishes he could run his fingers through it but knows this isn't the right time for that.

James figures that this is the real reason Lily stayed behind for Easter, she didn't want to face Petunia. She stops crying after a few moments and leans back slightly, not far enough that he would have to remove his arms from her, but just enough that she could look up into his face.

"I am so sorry James." She says wiping her tears on the hanky. "I can't believe I fell apart like that. I'm so embarrassed." She says.

James smiles at her. "Lily, I don't mind at all. I am glad you told me those things."

"Me too." She confesses.

"Is she – sorry to ask this but, is she the reason why you stayed behind for break?" He asks tentatively not wanting to upset her further but needing confirmation.

She nods slowly. "Her engagement party was the week after the New Year and she didn't even invite me. I mean, I helped her plan the whole thing, and when I wrote to her to ask if I should get permission to leave school to attend she never even wrote back. Then about two weeks ago she wrote to me and asked that I stop writing her all together because with her new life she just couldn't risk having owls coming and going as they please."

James feels disgusted with Lily's sister. _How can someone say such awful things to their sibling?_ He wonders.

"I am so sorry, Lily. She has no idea how lucky she is to have a sister like you or how stupid she is being for taking that for granted."

Lily smiles weakly at him. He hates seeing her so down. "You know what always cheers me up?" He asks her.

"What?"

"Hot cocoa."

"That would be nice. I wish I had some."

"Wait right here." He says already half way up to his dormitory. He's back in a minute and resumes his place on the couch.

"You told me something personal about your life tonight and I think it is only fair that I repay that by revealing one of my secrets to you." He tells her.

She doesn't respond. She just stares at him with a look of excitement mixed with hopefulness on her face.

"Lily, would you like to know one of the ways we Marauders get away with so much?" He asks, excitement at revealing this part of his life to her coursing through him.

She nods enthusiastically and James reveals to her what he is hiding behind his back.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" She asks awestruck.

"It is." He confirms giving her a smile. "You can touch it." He says holding it out to her.

He watches as she runs her hand over the smooth material in amazement. "Where did you get it?" She asks.

"It was my dad's. He gave it to me when I came to Hogwarts." He explains. "Would you like to give it a try?" He asks her not quite concealing the hopeful tone in his voice.

"You mean sneak out?" She asks sounding slightly scared.

He can't help but smile at her innocence, it is one of the many things that make her, her. He grins as he stands up and holds out his hand for her to take. She takes it after a moment's hesitation.

"If this is all some elaborate prank, and we get caught James, I will make you wish that you had been born a Squibb." She warns him.

"Don't worry, Lily. I would never let you get caught." He says stepping closer to her and throwing the cloak over top them both.

James leads her over to a mirror near the portrait hole and they stare into what should be their reflections but only shows the opposite wall of the room. Lily lets out an audible gasp in surprise and James leans down to whisper in her ear.

"Welcome to The Marauder's world." She lets out a small giggle and he leads her out into the castle.

As they walk through the corridors James points out things that can only be viewed at night. He loves being the one to show her, to share with her, his favorite part of the school.

"Hogwarts is so peaceful at night." She comments. "Is it always this way, or only because everyone is away?" She asks.

"It's always this way at night. Sometimes you will see teachers or Filtch walking around and even the occasional prefect." He says nudging her playfully. "But mostly, it's like this, quiet and deserted."

"I like it like this."

"Me too." He agrees as they reach their destination. James stops and begins to pull off the cloak.

"What are you doing?" Lily asks, fear apparent in her voice. "Where are we?"

"Don't worry, Lily. We won't get caught."

James reaches up to the painting on the wall and tickles the pear in the fruit bowl. The door to the kitchens swings open and James holds out his arm to Lily indicating that she should enter first. As she enters the room he watches her jaw drop and her eyes widen.

"Amazing isn't it?" He asks her and she nods in response, apparently unable to speak.

"Hello Mr. James, sir. Good evening, Miss." A house-elf by the name of Dinky greets them with a bow. "What can Dinky get for you this evening? We are out of the éclairs tonight. Mr. Sirius stopped by and ate what we had left. Dinky can see if we can make some for you." Dinky offers.

"That won't be necessary, Dinky, but thank you." James says hurriedly. "We are just here for some hot chocolate. This is Lily Evans, Dinky. She is a friend of ours." James introduces.

Dinky bows to Lily again. "It is lovely to meet you, Miss Lily."

"It is nice to meet you as well, Dinky." Lily says with a smile.

The tiny elf gives her a smile before heading off to get their drinks. James leads Lily to the counter with a few stools sitting around it.

"I'm impressed." She tells him as they take their seats. "Very impressed."

James just smiles at her, his heart seemingly lightening in his chest. If only he had known last year that this was all he had to do to impress her. He didn't have to show off or make a fool out of himself. He just needed to be himself. Dinky returns with their cocoa before backing away with a bow.

"So," Lily begins. "I learned two of your many secrets tonight. Do I perhaps get to know the rest now?" She asks a sly smile on her lips as if she knows what his answer before he even gives it.

"Now, what fun would that be?" He asks teasingly.

"I think it would be loads of fun."

"I can't tell you the rest. As the cloak is mine, it is my secret to share with whom I choose, just as it was Moony's choice to tell you about his furry-little-problem. But, the rest of the secrets are all of ours. I can't divulge them without their consent."

She frowns slightly. "What about this place?"

"Loads of students know about the kitchens. I am actually quite shocked you didn't know. Mary has been here loads before and Dee told me that she, Dennis, Stebbins and Selwyn used to come down here all the time. I figured Selwyn would have brought you down here at some point. But, my point is that this place is not really a secret. It's just not a very well-known place." He reasons.

Lily frowns into her mug. _Merlin what have I said now?_ James wonders. _We were having such a good time and I go and muck it up with my big mouth._ "But, if it helps, you still know more Marauder secrets than anyone who is not actually one." He tells her.

"That does kind of help." She says with a smile. "I'm glad that you feel like you can trust me with your secrets."

"I do. I know that you won't tell anyone."

"Can I assume then that you won't tell anyone about mine?"

"Of course you can, Lily." He assures her.

"I haven't told anyone else about Petunia. Not even Mary and Beth." She admits. "They know we don't get along well, but they don't know the reasoning behind it."

James' heart seems to fill with pride. _She hasn't trusted anyone else with her secrets except me. Not even her best friends. _Then suddenly it hits him. He is sitting alone with Lily Evans sipping hot chocolate and sharing extremely personal secrets with each other.

"I'm glad you shared it with me, Lily. I promise I won't tell anyone." He tells her.

"I know James, I trust you." She says and smiles broadly at him. He loves when she smiles at him. It makes her eyes shine bright and her face light up.

"I trust you too." He tells her. "This is why I can see us being friends for a very long time."

She smiles at him and they finish their cocoa in a comfortable silence.

"Come on, I want to see the rest of the castle." She tells him grabbing his hand. He smiles as she throws the cloak back over top them both and they leave the kitchens.

-L-3-J-

The next night after dinner James and Lily sit down in the common room to relax and he wonders what to say.

"Where did Sirius get to?" She asks him and he looks around.

"No idea, maybe he is meeting up with that Ravenclaw again."

Lily nods and smiles over at him. "What would you normally be doing right now if I weren't here?"

He smiles back. "I'm not sure. Last year I went home for Easter and the year before that Sirius and I spent almost all our time trying to –" He breaks off suddenly. He forgets sometimes that Lily doesn't know about him being and an Animargi.

"What were you trying to do?" She asks curiously.

"You probably don't want to know, you may get mad." He says. This is absolutely true. She would most certainly be mad at him if he told her that he and Sirius and Peter are illegal Animargi and run around with Remus in his wolf form once a month.

Lily blushes but continues on to cover the awkward moment. "Just pretend I'm not here, what would you be doing besides hanging out with Sirius?" She asks.

"Honestly, I would probably be out on the Quidditch Pitch."

"Training?"

"Maybe, but mostly just to fly. Although, I wouldn't mind getting the Quaffle out and tossing it around a bit." He chuckles.

"You really love it don't you." She says, not a question, just a statement.

"Of course, what's not to love?" He asks. She doesn't respond.

"I know you don't like it, but to me, it's the most exhilarating thing in the world." He begins to explain. "When I am up there, and the Quaffle is in my hands, I've never felt more alive. As soon as I mount my broom it's like the whole world under me just melts away. The game alone is spectacular but when I actually get to be a part of it, I feel… I don't know how to describe it. I am sure you understand what I mean though." He says looking back at her.

She looks at him confused. "Just think of how you feel every time you get top marks in Charms. Every time you work out a spell before any of the rest of us. That feeling, the knowledge that you are the best, that this is something you are good at, something that comes naturally. It's just, it's a high it's… indescribable, ya know?"

Lily nods at him slowly and then frowns. "Hearing you talk about Quidditch like this reminds me why I used to be fascinated with it."

"You did?"

"Yeah, in first year. I used to love to watch them play. It was all so new to me. It was nothing like I've ever seen. I mean, I watched football with my dad a few times, but this was nothing like Muggle sports." He nods. James has watched Muggle football before and he can't understand the appeal.

"Remember our first flying lesson?" She asks him and James nods.

He had already known how to fly so he watched his fellow first years to see who else would be potential Quidditch players. He noticed Beth seemed pretty sturdy and Sirius and Remus looked comfortable but he remembers Lily now.

"You couldn't get your broom up could you?"

She shakes her head. "You and Beth were already hovering in the air waiting for us before my broom came to me."

"It knew you were afraid." James surmises.

"That's what Snape told me. But he couldn't get his to come to him either. Then after watching that first Quidditch match I knew that I would never be able to do what they did. I admired them, but I just would rather keep my feet on the ground. So, I stopped really watching the games. I went and cheered on Gryffindor but I was always so nervous that someone would fall. Then when Beth joined the team in fourth year I started paying more attention. I still get nervous and all that, but when I hear you talk about it, it just… I can see what you mean."

James smiles at her. "I'm glad you are starting to like it again."

Then he starts to tell her about professional games he has been to with his dad and the others and what he wouldn't give to go to the World Cup. They talk for hours and somehow, James isn't exactly sure who suggested it, they end up back in the kitchens sipping hot cocoa. He hopes it is a tradition in the making.

* * *

Lily thinks that this might be the most enjoyable Easter Holiday she's ever had. The whole first week was fun and relaxing, but the last four nights had been so exciting and full of intrigue that when she sits down to breakfast on Thursday she can't imagine what James may have in store for her today. She is sure it will be fun though.

He doesn't disappoint and Lily feels a rush of excitement mixed with something else as he invites her to go with him to have tea with the grounds keeper, Hagrid.

"How did you meet Hagrid?" Lily asks James as they walk down through the castle alone.

"He caught us trying to sneak into the Forbidden Forest in our first year." James says with a smirk.

"And you weren't scared?" She asks, because she finds the giant man slightly frightening.

"At first we were, but when you get to know Hagrid you will see that there is no more harm in him than a niffler."

"A what?" Lily asks confused.

"Right, sorry, I forgot you didn't take Care of Magical Creatures. A niffler is this fuzzy cuddly little treasure hunter." Lily looks at him amazed. _Maybe I should have taken Care of Magical Creatures._

"So, what you are saying is he is a gentle giant?" She says and James laughs.

"Yeah, but he isn't really a giant. I expect he just swallowed some skeligrow as a kid or something. I never asked him about it, don't want to pry you know. Incase it's a sore subject."

Lily smiles at him. "So, after he caught you what happened?"

"Well, he was trying to keep us away from the forest by telling us about all the dangerous creatures the place holds, but that just made us more curious."

"Of course it did."

"We started asking him about the different stuff and next thing you know he is making us a cup of tea in his hut. He has a fascination with dangerous stuff, thinks of them as pets. Says he has a whole herd of thestrals in there."

"Thestrals?" Lily asks again confused.

"Yeah, they didn't even teach them in Care of Magical Creatures because they are considered dangerous, but Hagrid says they just get a bad rap because apparently you can't see them unless you have seen someone die." He tells her.

"Really?" She asks interestedly.

"Yeah, so Hagrid says anyway. We meant to look them up, but we never did. Did you know that Thestrals pull the school carriages?"

"I always thought the school carriages were pulled by invisible horses." Lily says sheepishly.

"So did we."

"It kind of makes you wonder what else is out there, invisible to us." Lily says looking around in wonder as they walk.

James stops immediately and falls to the ground and yells out in pain. Lily drops to her knees and kneels down next to him concerned.

"James? Are you ok? What happened?" He is clutching his head as if something had just hit him in it. _Is someone cursing him? _She thinks wildly, looking around for his attacker.

"Watch out, invisible wall right there." James says and then lowers his hands and gives her a cocky grin.

"That is not funny!" She screeches, standing up angrily. "I thought someone was cursing you!"

He laughs still lying on the ground. "Sorry Lily, it was just the first thing that popped into my head. You have to admit, it was a good one."

Now that she understands the joke it is rather funny and he had thought it up extremely quickly, which made it even more impressive. "It was decent, you've done better though." She says and turns to walk away, but she bumps into something.

"James Potter, did you put up an invisible wall here?" She asks turning to face him.

"No." He says looking perplexed showing her his hands to prove he doesn't have his wand out.

Sirius emerges from under the cloak laughing riotously. "Sorry, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up." He says still laughing. James laughs with him as he regains his feet.

"Alright, I change my mind, I don't want to know what else is out there invisible to me. I hope it just stays invisible." She says glaring at the pair of laughing boys.

"How long have you been walking with us?" James asks Sirius and Lily can hear a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I saw you heading out of the castle and was going to call for you to wait up, but I decided to go for a prank instead. When I heard you talking about thestrals I started forming a plan, then you did your little joke and I decided to join in instead." He says with a laugh. Lily can't help but join in. Even though the joke is on her, she still finds it funny.

"Come on, Hagrid's waiting for us." James says leading the way down to the giant's hut.

James knocks on the front door three times and Lily hears a loud barking coming from inside. She steps back a moment frightened. "Don't worry." James whispers in her ear. "That's just Fang."

_Fang?_ Lily thinks. _He is telling me not to worry about a creature named Fang?_

The door opens and a large shape pounces out of the door and onto Sirius, knocking him to the ground. Lily wants to scream for help, attack the animal that has tackled her friend. After a moment of panic she realizes that the large dog is just licking Sirius' face and Sirius is laughing.

"Fang, get off him." The giant booms coming out the door himself. "Bloody dog. Worst guard I ever had. Should go back to the manticore, I should." James laughs and Lily hopes she never finds out what a manticore is.

"Hi Hagrid, how are things?" James asks.

"Fine, fine, come in. Got the tea on." He says waving for them to enter the hut. Lily pauses for a second.

"Come on, it will be ok. Trust me." James tells her and leads her forward.

Lily feels herself relax a little bit. James wouldn't lead her into a dangerous situation, she knows that for sure. She walks up the stairs and enters the small hut behind him. Sirius follows a moment later, robes soaking wet from Fang's slobber. The dog bounds up to Lily, tail wagging madly. James steps in front of her to take the dogs leap.

"Back Fang!" Hagrid shouts and throws something into the corner of the small room. The dog chases after it and Lily smiles. It seems as if Fang is harmless, just an over excited dog.

"Hagrid, this is Lily Evans." James introduces.

Lily sees a smile of recognition pass over the man's face and he leans down to shake Lily's tiny hand in his massive one.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Evans. James has told me all about you." He says with a wink and James blushes.

"You as well, Hagrid, but please, call me Lily." She says and he releases her hand.

"Very well Lily, how do you take your tea?" The giant asks as he bustles around the small hut.

James takes a seat in an over large arm-chair. Lily hovers for a second not knowing where to sit. James pats the place next to him and gives her one of his cheeky grins. She rolls her eyes for his benefit and joins him. The chair is big enough to hold them both and probably Sirius as well.

She enjoys the time with them and laughs as Hagrid tells her all sorts of stories about The Marauders that she hasn't heard yet. When he offers her a muffin from a tray she accepts it gratefully not realizing how hungry she is until food is presented to her. When Hagrid turns his back James snatches the muffin from her and hides it in his pocket.

"You don't want to eat that." He promises her and then shakes his head refusing to explain.

A few hours later they return to the castle for dinner.

"Well, I'm off mates, see you later." Sirius says setting down his fork and walking over to the Hufflepuff table to chat up the group of girls.

Together Lily and James walk back up to Gryffindor Tower.

"So, tell me, why wasn't I allowed to eat that muffin Hagrid gave me?" She asks James as they sit together on the couch in front of the fire in the common room.

"The last time we ate something that Hagrid gave us Wormy lost a tooth." He says and she laughs.

"That bad?"

"I swear his rock cakes have actual rocks in them."

"Hm. I will remember that."

"Are you a good cook?" He asks her.

"I can be, when I have the patience for it." She says.

"I am a horrid cook. My mum never lets me anywhere near a frying pan."

Lily laughs at this. "My mum and I used to cook together all the time." She tells him and kicks her shoes off before turning to sit sideways on the couch stretching her legs out.

"Is it hard to be away from her for this long?" James asks her, pulling her feet onto his lap.

She thinks about it for a while before answering. "It's hard because I miss her, but it's not that bad because when I am there, it's still sort of like I'm not there."

"What do you mean?" He asks and she can tell by his expression that he truly cares about what she is saying.

"It's hard to explain. It's just; when I'm here I miss how everything used to be. When I'm home I still miss how everything used to be. It's pretty much the same, only when I am home it is all so real."

"What's real?"

"That everything is different. When I'm here I can pretend that when I get home everything will be back to normal. But when I'm there, I can't pretend anymore."

He nods and runs his hand through his hair. Lily watches as it ruffles the strands making them more unkempt then they were before.

"Why do you do that?" She asks him.

"Do what?"

"Run your hand through your hair like that. You do it all the time."

"I'm not sure. I suppose it's something I picked up from my dad. He does it as well. It's just habit." He shrugs.

"I used to get so annoyed when you did that." She tells him.

"I remember. What was it? _'Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick._'" He quotes in a poor imitation of Lily's voice.

She smiles and reaches her leg up to kick him playfully but he catches it. "I do not sound like that!" He smirks. "But I am sorry for saying it. I was angry and not at you." She tells him.

"I know. Well, I didn't _actually_ know, but I suspected. Doesn't mean my ego didn't take a major blow that day though." He says with another of his cheeky grins.

"Your ego needed a blow or two." She reminds him and he chuckles.

"I suppose it did."

They fall silent for a moment and she watches James' face as he stares into the flames. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything." He says looking back at her and she sees the sincerity in his eyes.

"You might not like the question." She warns him.

"If I don't like the question then I will refuse to answer."

After a moment's hesitation she looks into his eyes. "Why did you save Snape last year?"

He looks at her alarmed and completely taken aback by this. "You know about that?"

"Everyone knows about that, James. I mean, they don't know the details, and I guess I don't really either, but everyone knows that he went into the Whomping Willow and you pulled him out. No one knows about Remus though, they all assume it's something far worse." She assures him.

"Oh." He stares at the ground for a minute and Lily wonders if he is going to answer her. "I don't really think you will like my answer." He tells her looking back at her.

"What happened?" She asks kindly. She is sure that when he said that she wouldn't like his answer that he meant that he was the one who told Snape to go in there in the first place. She just wants to hear what happened.

"It was that day Mulciber and Avery attacked Mary, you remember?" She nods. "Well, Peter, Sirius and I were on our way back from dinner like normal. Remus was already up in the Hospital Wing waiting to be led down to the Whomping Willow. We heard voices coming from an unused classroom and decided to see what was going on."

Lily smiles, she knows that feeling all too well.

"When we peaked in we saw Snape talking to Sirius' brother Regulus, you've seen him right?" Lily nods again. "Well, Snape was trying to get Reg to convince Sirius to tell him where Remus goes every month and what is wrong with him. Told him that he could 'join them' if he got the answers."

The anger on James' face is evident and Lily feels like she knows what will happen next.

"Well, we barged into the room and a few angry words were shot around then finally Sirius demanded that we all leave so that he could talk to Snape alone. I didn't want to go, but I know Sirius and the way he looked at me made me sure that he wasn't going to hex Snape. So Reg left and then Peter and I did too. Sirius wasn't gone long, maybe only a half hour. When he got back we disappeared up to the dormitory like we always do. You know how we sneak out to Hogsmeade?" He asks and she nods again.

"I was pulling on my trainers when Sirius told me what he'd done. He had told Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow, told him how to get through the tunnel. Told him exactly what he needed to know to find Remus."

Lily is completely confused now. She had expected James to say that he challenged Snape, told him that if were brave enough he'd go in there or something, but it had been Sirius. _Why would James go running after Snape when it wasn't even his fault?_

"Well, we were hoping that Snape wouldn't dare try out his theory, but then we saw him coming out of the castle. I barely had time to think, I just made a run for it. All I knew was that if Snape got down there he would see Remus, and if he wasn't careful, Remus would see him. If Remus would have seen him – " James shivers at the thought and looks back at the fire again.

"I didn't do it to be a hero, Lily. I didn't even do it to save Snape. I did it for Remus and for Sirius, for all of us if I'm being honest really."

"What do you mean?" She asks tenderly, reaching out to grab his hand.

"I don't mean that to sound callous. I obviously didn't want Snape dead or bitten. No matter how much I dislike the git, I didn't want him dead. But, I was really thinking about Remus, and how it would affect him if he… did that to another person. Even if he was in his wolf form and couldn't control it, I know he would never forgive himself. He would insist on leaving school and everyone would know about what he is. And Sirius? What would have happened to him? Chucked out certainly, sent to Azkaban probably. I don't know if I could stay here without them. Peter and I would be lost."

Lily gently rubs small circles onto the back of his hand with her thumb. She hadn't meant to upset him. She just wanted someone to explain to her what happened properly.

"James…" She begins and he shakes his head.

"I know that's not what you wanted to hear, Lily. I know you wanted me to tell you that I actually like Snape and that I saved him because I think he is a good person. But he's not, and that's not why I did it. I know that sounds bad, but no one, not even someone like him, deserves what Remus goes through every month. If you ask him, he will agree."

"James, I wasn't going to say that." He looks at her and she gives him a warm smile.

"I know you don't like Snape and I also know he isn't a good person." She admits. "I wasn't looking for any specific answer. I just wanted to know your reasoning." She assures him.

He gives her a small smile but she can tell he is still upset about what could have happened.

"You did save him James, and Remus and Sirius as well. All of you are still here because of your quick thinking and bravery."

"It wasn't bravery, Lily."

"It was." She argues. "I think that everyone would agree with me there."

He shakes his head again and looks back to the fire. "I don't want to be told that, Lily. What I want to do is forget it happened."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like being reminded of the day that I almost lost everything." He admits.

She wants to ask what he means so badly, but by the look of anguish on his face she knows she has to change the subject.

"So when Hagrid told you about the thestrals did he tell you if it is only once you see a human die that you get to see them, or can you see something else, like an animal or something, snuff it?" She asks in a playful manner and he turns back to her with a smile, relaxing into the couch throwing his arm over the back as he turns to her.

"He didn't say, but I am sure it's only humans. Padfoot and I saw a bird snuff it once. It ran right into a window in the Muggle town by my house. So, if birds counted we would have been seeing them for years, but I've yet to see one." He tells her.

"Me neither. I'm not sure I really want to see them either."

"I definitely don't." He says and he drops his gaze to his lap. "How small are your feet? I never noticed before but they are dainty!" He cries picking one up and pretending to examine it.

Lily laughs. "Hey, they are normal for a girl my age and height!"

"What size?" James demands.

"Thirty-five." She says in a small voice.

"Thirty-five! Merlin's beard, Lily! Your feet are tiny!" He says holding her foot up to his hand. He could curl his fingers around the top of her foot comfortably.

"Shut it! What size do you wear, then?"

"Forty-six." He says almost proudly.

"Forty-six! You have giant feet!" She squeals laughing as he looks affronted. "I bet you could wear Hagrid's shoes."

He laughs. "What size shoe do you think Hagrid wears? Three hundred?"

Lily chuckles. "I am sure they have to custom make his shoes."

"I wonder if there is a giant shop somewhere that sells shoes and clothes for giants."

"You would know better than me, I am still amazed there are giants." She admits and he laughs.

Sirius comes into the common room then looking distinctly ruffled and sits down in an arm-chair. "What are you two so giggly for?"

"We are trying to decide what size shoe Hagrid wears." Lily tells him sitting up a little and removing her feet from James' lap.

"Ah, Miss Evans, I never thought you would be so crude." He says with a grin.

"What?" She asks confused and James coughs, obviously understanding.

"I assume you only want to know his shoe size for one reason."

"What reason would that be?" She asks starting to feel left out of the joke.

"Well, you know what they say."

"No, what do they say?"

James is starting to go a little red in the face.

"Large hands, large feet, large…"

"You are horrible!" She says and smacks Sirius on the arm.

Then she goes slightly red in the face because she and James had just been talking about how large his feet are, and she had noticed how large his hands are as well. _I wonder if that saying is…_ She shakes her head quickly. _I absolutely _cannot_ think like that!_

James and Sirius are out right laughing at her expression and she decides to get her revenge. "What size shoe do you wear then Sirius – thirty?" She says evilly and James doubles over in laughter.

Sirius props his feet up on the side of the couch next to Lily. "Forty-four, darling and proud of it." He says and Lily pushes his feet off the couch.

"I've seen bigger." And then she goes red again at the implication. Now James is on the floor laughing.

"Like who!" Sirius demands.

"James, lift your feet up." Lily says and Sirius eyes her suspiciously.

"Already know Prongs' shoe size do you, Evans?" She blushes again and thankfully James has stopped laughing now.

"Eh, don't let him bother you, Lily. He is just upset cause he has the smallest feet of all The Marauders." Lily giggles and Sirius glares.

"Do not! Wormy has smaller feet than me." Sirius protests.

"You four measure your feet often?"

"Nah, he just wanted to borrow a pair of Moony's trainers awhile back and they didn't fit, and that brought the discussion on. And Wormtail is six inches shorter than you so of course his feet are smaller." James reminds Sirius.

"How big are Remus' feet?" Lily asks and they both look at her with suspiciously. "Oh, ha-ha, I just was curious. Besides I bet Beth would be interested to know so she can compare them to Barry's when I tell her about this." She says pointing between them.

They both laugh. "He wears a forty-six like me." James tells her.

"When you relay this message on to the ladies, mind not mentioning that Prongs and Moony have bigger feet than me?" Sirius asks.

"Oh no way, they are getting all the details." Lily says mercilessly. That sends James laughing again and Sirius scowls at him.

"Better watch out, Evans, or the ladies will hear about your nightly excursions with Prongsie here." James sits up quickly glaring at his friend and Lily goes red.

"We just go to the kitchens mate, you know that." He says defensively.

"I know that, but it will still be fun to watch you two go red in the face when I tell them."

"Alright, fine Sirius, I won't tell them that you have smaller feet than James and Remus." Lily promises and he smiles.

"Thank you. Now I will head up to bed so that you two can go have your cocoa." He says and heads up the stairs to the boy's dormitories.

James blushes from the floor and Lily looks awkwardly down at her hands.

"Sorry about him, he wanted to take the cloak the other night and I had to explain to him why I needed it. It wasn't that big of a deal since he still has the –" James cuts off and Lily looks at him curiously, hoping that he is about to reveal another one of their secrets. "Well, I mean to say, he still has other ways of getting around undetected." James finishes.

Lily looks down at her hands again slightly disappointed. She understands why he can't tell her, but she is so curious!

After a few moments James speaks again. "If you don't want to go get cocoa tonight, I understand."

Lily thinks about it for a second. _We probably shouldn't. Sirius has a big mouth and if he lets everyone know that James and I have snuck out every night since Easter they might get the wrong idea. But, _her mind counters, _what's the point in not going? He already is going to tell them, might as well enjoy it before it's gone._

"Dinky is probably already waiting for us." She says and he smiles.

"Well, then, let's not keep him waiting."

He stands and holds his hand out for her. She takes and smiles as he drapes the cloak over them.

* * *

**A/N – I had a lot of trouble ending this chapter. I just kept writing, and writing, and writing. Sorry if the ending is a little weird. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N – Here you are. :)**

* * *

Saturday morning Lily wakes with a smile on her face. The previous night she and James had stayed in the kitchens until nearly midnight and when they finally returned to the common room neither of them were tired. They ended up sitting by the dying fire and talking for a few more hours.

Lily gets out of bed and pulls on her bath robe before gathering up her things intent on going to the prefect's bathroom to have a nice relaxing morning to keep her good mood alive. She enters the common room to see James and Sirius locked in a chess match.

"Morning." She waves to them. "I'm off to go take a bath. I'll see you at lunch."

No response.

"You know, lunch, where you eat food?"

Crickets.

"Are you two ignoring me?" She asks a little sad at the thought.

Silence.

_What did I do? James and I had such a wonderful time last night and Sirius didn't seem upset with me when he went off to bed either._

"I suppose I could just start getting ready for my bath now." She says.

Neither of them looks up.

"Maybe just strip down naked here in the common room for all to see?"

"Did she just say naked?" James asks whipping his head around to face her and Sirius looks up excitedly.

"Well that got you both to pay attention." She says, hands on hip.

"Shhh, Evans, stop talking and get to the stripping." Sirius says.

James smacks him on the back of the head and looks over at Lily. "Uh, what did you need Lily? We were distracted." He admits sheepishly.

"You two are so easy." She says shaking her head. "I was just telling you that I am heading off to the Prefect's Bathroom to relax, I'll see you at lunch."

James smiles at her warmly. "Alright, we'll save you a seat."

Smiling she exits the common room.

-J-3-L-

Lily finds them at lunch discussing something in low whispers but when she approaches they stop talking.

"Not talking about me I hope." She says taking the seat next to James.

"Nah, we were just talking about what prank we were going to pull before the others get back, figured you didn't want to be a party to it." James tells her.

"Too right I don't." Lily agrees and James laughs.

"I thought not."

"We might disappear for a bit this afternoon Lily, don't take it personally. We have, uh, things to take care of." Sirius says grinning.

"I don't want to know." Lily says and tucks into her lunch.

-J-3-L-

That night Lily sits waiting in the common room for James to turn up. It's past the time that they usually sneak out to go to the kitchens. She hopes that he and Sirius hadn't gotten caught while they were doing whatever they had been planning to do that afternoon at lunch.

She stares down at the essay on her lap and frowns. She has no desire to start working on it, so she lets her mind wander instead.

Lily feels awful because she has hardly thought about Todd at all over break. If she did think about him it was to either feel bad for not thinking of him or because she was comparing him in some way to James. Like the way Todd has never intrigued her like James does. Todd's very plain and almost boring whereas the last thing someone could call James is boring.

When Todd talks to her he speaks in a very polite almost formal way, as if she were a colleague rather than his girlfriend. They don't have the same stimulating conversations like she and James do. James makes the most mundane things seem wildly interesting, she always wants to know more. He asks her hard questions that she really has to think about and they never seem to end. When they get into a conversation Lily feels like she could talk to him forever. He surprises her and never does what she expects. James is, to put it simply, exciting. Fun and interesting, always keeping her on her toes, and Todd is… well, not.

She feels bad to be thinking these things about him. He has always been extremely nice to her, even if his friends hadn't. This is yet another thing that Todd and James are completely different in. Todd's friends never tried to get along with Lily, they don't like her and she doesn't feel too good about them either. Lily likes James' friends a lot and she thinks they like her too. It helps that she has had all this time away from the rest of the school to get to know Sirius. They have been getting on very well lately.

She used to assume that Sirius is just an arrogant womanizer that only cares about who his next shag would be, but now she knows him better. He questions Lily constantly about the Muggle world. He always wants her opinion on his Muggle attire and asks if she will take him into Muggle London and show him around. She is beginning to really like him. He is just like James in a lot of ways but he seems to lack the same amount of compassion. Sirius always seems to be the one to want to prank people without caring much who or why. James at least saves the worst of their tricks for the nastier Slytherins.

Todd and his friends never pull pranks, which is initially something that Lily found very attractive. She does wish he would crack a joke every once in a while though.

Todd actually has many qualities Lily looks for in a guy, besides his lack of pranking. He is intelligent. _But,_ interrupts the voice in her head, _James is just as intelligent, if not more so. _It is true. James is top in their class at Transfiguration and Defense without even trying, and he is defiantly a contender in all their other lessons. Lily is sure that if he put in a little more effort he would be top in them too.

Todd is handsome. He has the classic, generic good looks. He is the type of bloke you would see in a magazine ad or on the telly. His wavy brown hair matches his dark brown eyes and he has a good smile set into his perfectly symmetrical face. He is tall enough that Lily can wear a nice pair of heels and still not meet his eye line. He is definitely the best looking Ravenclaw in their year.

_James is handsome too._ The voice reminds her.

It is true. James is handsome, but not in the obvious way that Todd is. He is just as tall and his hazel eyes are captivating. His dark messy hair, the way it always looks windswept, is almost sexy. He has a smirk that can melt you heart and his slightly too long nose seems to work perfectly with his glasses giving him a very intellectual look at times. He also has the added benefit of his toned to perfection body. Todd is slighter, almost lanky, whereas James has muscles, and not the gross veiny kind either. He has the kind of muscles that are just perfectly defined. The kind that Lily can't help but imagine in her mind's eye whenever she touches his arm or his strong Chaser hands. James just looks manlier than Todd.

Despite the fact that Todd is on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, he hates to get dirty. He often cares more about his looks than she would like. He is always making sure his hair looks perfect and making sure his robes are perfect. Lily never sees James fussing of his appearance or worrying about getting his robes dirty.

_James is definitely more manly than Todd. _She decides.

Then she has to consider their personalities, completely different yet equally attractive to her. Todd has a responsible and well-mannered attitude. He takes his duties and lessons seriously and treats Lily like a lady. He wants to get a job with the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures when he leaves school to follow in his father's footsteps. James isn't responsible or well-mannered.

_He takes his Quidditch responsibilities seriously and he takes his responsibility to his friends very seriously._ The voice points out.

James never wavers in his responsibilities when it comes to Quidditch or his friends. He even takes school seriously when he has to. He also wants to join the Ministry after Hogwarts, only, not to follow in his father's footsteps. He wants to become an Auror and his father had been in the Department Department of International Magical Cooperation. James follows his own path in life and he is almost always carefree and fun. Never takes anything too seriously, unless it is in regards to The Marauders. He is always up for a good joke or prank and laughs at himself as much as anyone else. He may not be as gentlemanly as Todd but he is gallant in his own way. He defends Lily and the other Gryffindor girls whenever anyone speaks ill of them and he protects them against anyone who wishes them harm.

_James' personality is definitely better rounded than Todd's._

Lily feels awful. She is sitting here comparing her boyfriend to another guy. It is ridiculous. _James and I are just friends. __That is it_. _Sure, he asked me out a few times, alright he asked me out a lot, but that was ages ago. He hasn't asked me out in months. He probably doesn't even see me in that way anymore. Why should I even compare the two, there is no point. Todd is my boyfriend and he is great. That is that. I do not fancy James Potter. It is crazy to even think it._

"Oy, Jamie looky here! If it isn't darling, Miss Evans!" Sirius' voice says from the portrait hole where the two are stumbling into the common room, Sirius half carrying James.

"What did you do to him?" Lily asks as she walks over to where they stand leaning on one another laughing.

"Didn't do anything, he drank himself silly, Lily." Then they both burst out laughing. "Silly Lily! Get it Evans?" Sirius asks still laughing, slurring his words.

"Yes, very amusing." Lily comments unable to hide her own laughter at the absurdity of the two usually in control boys.

"_And Odo the hero!_" James begins to sing and then pauses. "I forget the next line, what's the next line?"

"I think he dies." Sirius says and then falls down to the ground leaving James unsupported to fall next to him.

"Why were we singing?" James asks and their laughter renews.

Lily rolls her eyes at them both and levitates them into the air. They protest all the way up to their dormitory. When Lily opens their door she lets them down lightly on the floor and turns to leave.

"Good night, boys." She says over her shoulder.

"Wait!" Sirius calls after her and she turns. "I need help getting into my jammies." He says trying to stand up. Lily rolls her eyes again.

"Ah, shut it Sirie. She doesn't want to undress you." Laughing at nothing in particular he tries to get himself out of his cloak and ends up back on the floor in a tangled mess.

"You two are pathetic drunks." Lily tells them before reentering the room. She walks over and helps James untangle himself and turns to help Sirius but finds him passed out in his trunk, legs sticking out of the end. It is an extremely comical sight. She wishes she had a camera. Chuckling she levitates him into the bed behind the trunk.

"Is that Sirius' bed?" She asks James.

"Huh?" James asks as if he hadn't heard her properly.

"Which one is Sirius' bed?" She asks again more clearly.

"Uh… That one!" James pronounces pointing to the ceiling.

Lily can't hide her amusement any longer. This is the first time she has ever seen him like this. Usually when he gets drunk he is just as calm, collected and cocky as usual. She quite likes sloppy-drunk James.

"Alright Boozy, where is your bed?" Lily asks and James laughs.

"Boozy… sounds like a house-elf name. Good Godric, have a begun to shrink and grow elf ears? What have I been drinking?" He laughs loudly at his own joke, not even noticing when Lily takes off his shoes.

"Very clever. Which bed?" She asks.

"I'll never tell."

"Then I will leave you to sleep on the floor." Lily threatens.

"Awe, Lily, don't be such a kill joy! You have to guess!" He says.

She can't help but smile. "Alright, is it this one?" She asks pointing to the second one from the door.

"Nope."

She points to the one on its right. "This one?"

"Definitely not."

"That one?" She asks pointing to the one where Sirius now lay.

"You aren't very good at this game." He comments.

"So then it's this one?" Lily asks already heading to the bed next to the one Sirius is lying in.

"That is also not my bed." He tells her.

Lily is starting to get annoyed at this point. "James Potter, there aren't any other beds in this room!" She says frustrated.

"Ah, now there is the temper that I know and love." He is smirking at her again and she turns on him.

"My bed is that one right there." He says pointing to the first bed she had chosen.

"You picked it too quickly, what fun is that?" He explains when she glares at him. "Honestly though, I am fine to walk." He says standing up and taking one step then immediately stumbling into the bed next his.

"I can see that. You're doing great." She says sarcastically.

"I got back from Hogsmeade just fine didn't I?" He says.

Lily is thrown for a second. _Of course they would sneak in to Hogsmeade to get drunk. _She is impressed in spite of herself. Piss-poor drunk and they can still sneak into the castle without getting caught.

She walks over to where James is leaning on his bed post for support and pushes him down onto the bed. Unfortunately, not having thought this plan through completely, she too falls. She lays spread across his chest, both of them laughing immensely at the silliness of the entire thing. Suddenly it seems to hit her where she is laying and she jumps up quickly, adjusting her robes.

"You can take it from here I trust?" She asks almost business like.

"Sure can Lily Bell. I got the sleep thing down." He tells her with a wink. Lily smiles at the nickname. She has never heard anyone use that nickname for her besides her parents. It's kind of strange, but she didn't dislike it.

"Good night, James." She says with a smile on her face as she leaves the room closing the door behind her.

* * *

James wakes up to sunshine pouring onto his face. _Why didn't I close my curtains?_ _And why am I still in my robes? Why am I sideways? What happened last night?_ He wonders as he tries to turn himself so he is lying properly in his bed.

"Prongs?" Sirius calls in a confused voice. "Why am I in Wormy's bed?"

"No idea mate, but I feel like shit. I don't even remember how we got back into the dormitory." James says.

"I have this strange feeling that we were flying." Sirius tells him.

"I don't see brooms anywhere." James says looking around the room and realizing it is all blurry. _ Where are my glasses?_

Just then the door opens quietly and a very blurry Lily walks into the room carrying a large tray filled with an assortment of breakfast foods.

"Good morning sunshines!" She says in a cheery voice that makes James' head pound. He and Sirius let out a groan at the same time and Lily laughs.

"I brought you boys some breakfast. I didn't think you'd be up to getting out of bed after last night. Here are you glasses, James. I took them off you so you wouldn't break them and forgot I had them." She tells him handing over his glasses.

"Thanks, Lily. What exactly did happen last night?" He asks her tentatively.

"And why am I in Wormtail's bed?" Sirius adds.

"Well, you are in Wormtail's bed because I thought it was yours considering you passed out in his trunk. James wouldn't tell me which bed was yours, or his for that matter. I had to push you into bed." Her cheeks blush at this but she continues on hurriedly. "As for what happened, all I could get out of you was that you had snuck into Hogsmeade to get drunk." She tells them.

"I remember that much." Sirius says falling back on to Peter's pillows.

"Yeah, this headache is proof enough." James groans.

"I bet. When you got back to the common room Sirius was half carrying you and you were singing some weird song about someone named Odo. But you forgot the words and then why you were even singing in the first place. Then you both were laughing so much I had to levitate you up here." She explains.

"That explains why you thought we were flying, Padfoot." James says to Sirius.

"Yes, flying indeed. I believe you called me an 'interfering trout' at one point, Sirius." Lily says.

James snaps his head up quickly. _Why would Sirius call her that? Is Lily mad? Does she hate us now? _ But she was smiling away apparently extremely amused.

"Sorry, Lily. I can be quite belligerent at times." Sirius says apologetically.

"No need for apologies, it was hilarious. I shall be teasing you about last night for years to come." Lily says with a smirk.

James begins to look around for his wand, more than ready to get rid of this headache. "Do you know where I left my wand?" He asks Lily, hoping that he didn't leave it in Hogsmeade or drop it somewhere on their way back.

"I hid them from you. I was afraid you would attempt to do drunken magic." Lily tells them.

James smiles at her. "That was probably smart."

"Would you like some help with the hangovers?" Lily asks.

"Yes, please!" Sirius calls and Lily heads over to him and James hears her say "_Meddeleo_" and then come over to his bed and do the same.

"Thanks, Lily." James says.

"Yeah, we really appreciate your help." Sirius tells her.

"You are welcome, now eat your breakfast." She tells them.

"Yes ma'am!" Sirius says and heads over to the tray and digs in excitedly.

"Would you like some?" James asks her also grabbing himself a plate.

"I think I should go back down to the common room. I need to finish a few essays." She says slightly awkward. "Besides you both smell like stale mead." She teases. "See you later." And she leaves the room.

James and Sirius head down to the common room a little while later, showered and no longer hungry. They spot Lily on a couch near the fire and they join her.

"How do we smell now?" James asks her.

"Less like stale mead?" Sirius adds.

"Yes, you both smell very fresh." She says with a smile.

"What essay are you working on?" Sirius asks her.

"Charms. Honestly, I should have had it done days ago. I don't know what's gotten into me." She says more to herself than them.

"It's because Prongs here is so distracting with his charm and his mischief." Sirius says wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. James hits him across the back of the head and Lily laughs.

"Yes exactly. So you two must leave me alone to study today. Go on. Shoo." She says waving her hand at them to leave.

"You hear that, Prongs? She is trying to shoo us away." Sirius says indignantly.

"You know Padfoot, I seem to forget what happened to the last person who tried to shoo us. Do you remember?" James asks knowing full well what they had done to the last person who shooed them.

"I think I do."

Lily looks back and forth between them anxiously as they close in on her. Sirius grabs her legs and James picks her up under her arms and they begin to carry the extremely light package through the castle despite her squirming and protests.

"Put me down!"

"Where are you taking me?"

"James Potter you put me down this instant!"

"Sirius I swear if you don't put me down –"

She doesn't finish her threat because as they turn the corner that would take them to the marble staircase they nearly run into Professor Dumbledore. Sirius instantly let's go of Lily's feet and James lifts her slightly so that she can stand properly before letting go of her and dropping his arms to his sides.

Lily straightens her robes. "Mr. Black, Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, enjoying your last day on holiday I trust?" Dumbledore asks.

"Yes Sir, we are." Sirius answers.

"Glad to hear it, Mr. Black. Miss Evans, do you agree that you are enjoying yourself?" He directs to Lily a twinkle playing in his eyes.

"Yes, Sir. James and Sirius were just trying to get me to loosen up a bit. Have a little fun you see." She tells him.

"Ah, yes I can see that. May I ask, Mr. Potter, that you don't go to such extremes next time?"

"Yes. Sir." James says wondering why he was singled out.

"I am all for a little fun, especially in the present times. Do take care." He says before turning away and heading in the direction of his study. James was sure he saw a smile on his Headmaster's face.

"Uh, thanks Lily." Sirius says rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah, you could have gotten us into a lot of trouble there, but you didn't. We really appreciate it." James tells her.

"You are welcome. You just better not ever do that again." She says in a mock stern voice. "Where were you taking me?" She asks hands on hip.

"We, uh, were going to throw you into the lake." James says looking down at his shoes.

"It's what we do every time some tries to get rid of us." Sirius explains.

"Oh no mate, we better run for it." Sirius says and James looks up to see Lily's face. He takes off with Sirius, Lily chasing them back to Gryffindor tower.

_This has to be the best Easter break ever._ He thinks.

-L-3-J-

James walks down to dinner later that night with Lily and Sirius, excited for their friend's return. As they take their usual seats at the Gryffindor table the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, comes over to join them.

"Evening Nick, head still hanging in there?" Sirius says with a laugh.

"Alas, it is Mr. Black. Thank you for your concern." Nick relies sardonically.

Lily smiles at the interaction. Nick turns to James to talk about Gryffindor's prospects in the Quidditch Final coming up in a mere three weeks. James is excited for the match. Gryffindor has won the cup every year since James joined the team in his second year. Furthermore, his team has never failed to win a match since he has captained it.

"Ah, Miss Robins, I am excited to see you play in the match as well. I was just telling James how I have no doubt we will win the cup again this year." Beth smiles at the ghost. She, Mary, Remus and Peter had just arrived at the table. No one had even said hello yet and Nick had already pulled her into his Quidditch talk.

"Thanks Nick. I think so too." She says and then hurriedly pulls Lily into a conversation about what she and her boyfriend Barry had done over break.

Eventually Nick got bored with them when he saw a fellow ghost to talk to and James finally gets to listen in to his friend's conversation.

"I'm telling you, she will never let me go." Sirius was saying.

"Who?" James asks confused.

"That Ravenclaw, the one I took a walk with over break."

James remembered then. "She's been bugging you?"

"Didn't you notice how she sat with us at every meal for the last week and followed us around on the grounds?" Sirius asks incredulously.

"I thought you invited her." Lily says innocently.

"Me too." James agrees.

"You two are blind."

"Well, I have the best story of all." Lily tells them.

James looks at her hoping she isn't about to tell the others about how he had shown her the cloak and snuck out after curfew with her. But as she tells the others the story of how James and Sirius had gotten drunk and she had to take care of them they all were laughing.

"You make us sound like invalids." Sirius says crossly.

"You pretty much were. Well, you were more so than James. At least he could still talk. You were slurring your words and mumbling. It was hysterical." She says and Sirius looks put out as they leave the hall and walk back to Gryffindor Tower in their group of seven.

* * *

**A/N – I know it's short! Sorry! But I had to give you something! :)**

**Let me know what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N – It's the one you've all been waiting for! **

* * *

Lily can hardly believe that May is already upon them. She has been extremely busy the last two weeks. Their teachers seem to feel that any free time they get should be spent doing homework. On top of that she has prefect duties.

Then she has the ever-present guilt that whenever she does have a free afternoon, she spends it with her friends instead of with Todd. The only actual time she has spent with him in the last two weeks was to study in the library one night. Even that was cut short due to his prefect duties. They made plans to put aside everything else and spend time together on Saturday.

As she gets ready in her dormitory Lily finds herself more resigned than excited. She could knock out both the Potions and the Transfiguration essay if she had all night to work on them, but instead she will be up until two in the morning again on Sunday. She double checks her reflection in the mirror before heading down to the Entrance Hall where she would be meeting Todd.

"Wow. Looks like you have a date." James calls to her as she walks through the common room.

She looks over at him and sees the table in front of him strewn with papers and books and realizes she had forgotten to tell him that she couldn't study with him tonight.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm so sorry. I said I would meet Todd. I feel awful, if you want, I can tell him that I can't hang out tonight."

"Nah, go have your fun. Wormy and Padfoot are joining me tonight which means we probably won't do much studying. You'd just get annoyed if you were here." He tells her.

She gives him a warm smile. _How does he know me so well?_

"Alright well have fun and try to get at least a little homework out-of-the-way." She instructs before turning and leaving.

When she reaches the Entrance Hall she sees Todd talking to Stebbins. She waves as she approaches them.

"Hold on, Lily." Todd says before she can even speak. "You mean to tell me that Potter relinquished his hold on the pitch tonight?" Todd asks Stebbins in disbelief.

"He must have a hot date or something." Stebbins shrugs. "I just saw that Jacque kid in the library and he said Potter told them to take the night off."

"I can't believe he would give up an evening of Quidditch one week before the final. He has to have gone mad." Todd says in amazement. "Thanks Joe."

"No problem mate, see you later." Stebbins says looking Lily up and down distastefully before heading to the door that would lead to his common room.

"Do you know why Potter canceled his practice session tonight?" Todd asks turning to Lily.

_Not, 'Hello Lily. How are you today? You look great, is that a new outfit?'_ Lily thinks bitterly.

"They were out there all day. I expect they wanted a break." Lily shrugs.

"He must have found himself a new girlfriend, wonder who he's shagging now. Tiana just dumped her boyfriend, I bet it's her." Todd says wonderingly.

Lily feels a pang of anger and distaste shoot through her. She never liked Tiana much. _How Todd can think James would go for her is beyond me. _She doesn't like Todd talking about James this way. As if he would blow off his Quidditch responsibilities for some girl. _Especially Tiana Daxter._

"Actually, I saw him in the common room before coming down here. He and the others are just studying tonight." Lily explains a little more defensively than she meant to sound.

"But this means the pitch is open all evening, it's brilliant!" Todd says excitedly, apparently not hearing her last words.

Lily frowns at him. "Why's that brilliant?"

"Isn't it obvious? Now we have a whole evening extra to practice that I wasn't counting on." He tells her.

"So, you're going to have an impromptu Quidditch practice?" Lily asks not hiding her disappointment and anger.

_I got dressed up, put on heels, didn't eat dinner and now he is going to ditch me for Quidditch. What a wonderful Saturday night this is going to be._

"Of course! It's only one week 'til the final, Lily! Come on, help me round up the others." He says and grabs her hand to lead her up the marble staircase.

"Todd, I'm not really in the right shoes to be running." She says and he stops.

"Oh, sorry, why are you all dressed up?"

Lily looks at him amazed. _He did not forget that we had a date tonight. He couldn't have. _"Our date, remember?" She says putting her hands on her hips angrily.

"Of course I remember we had a date, Lily. What do you think we are doing right now? I just don't know why you look so dressed up. We are just going to the Quidditch Pitch." He says sounding slightly muddled.

"You mean to say that on our big date, the one _you_ made such a fuss over, you were just going to take me to the Quidditch Pitch?" She asks barely hiding her anger.

"Yeah." He says sheepishly.

"Why? What would we do on the pitch? What kind of date is that?" She asks, and then it hits her.

He had thought the Gryffindor team would be out there practicing tonight. Todd wanted her to help him spy on them. No one would tell her she couldn't watch the team practice if she wants to and Lily knows that James would never ask her to send her boyfriend away either.

"You wanted to spy." She says in a small voice. "You needed me to help you spy."

"Lily, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

"I didn't want to spy. I thought if we went down there and sat in the stands Potter would have to call his practice. He would be down a session and I could spend the rest of the night on the grounds with you." He says in a smooth voice.

Lily isn't buying it though. "So you wanted me to sabotage my friend's game?"

"It's not sabotage, Lily. They have plenty more time to train. He even called the session off himself, so it doesn't matter."

"I thought we were going to have a nice date, alone, away from everyone else tonight. You are the one who made such a fuss about it. You are the one who is always so upset about me spending time with James. And on our first date in weeks, you want to take me to the Quidditch Pitch, where you are _sure_ he will be. It makes no bloody sense."

"Well, when you say it like that –" Todd begins.

"Go find your team." Lily says cutting him off. "You have a practice session to get to. Don't want to waste more time than you have to." Then she turns and walks away as quickly as her heels would let her.

"Lily!" Todd calls after her, but she doesn't turn around.

She walks through the castle alone for hours not really caring where she is going, deep in thought. The castle grows darker as she walks and she sees fewer and fewer people. _It must be after curfew. _Lily knows she should go back to her common room. Her feet are killing her and she'll get into trouble if she is seen out this late and not on patrol. But her feet carry her to the kitchens instead.

"Good evening Miss Lily, can Dinky get you your usual cup of cocoa?" The small house-elf asks.

"Yes, Dinky, that would be lovely." She says sitting down on her usual stool.

Dinky returns with her cocoa and the kitchen door opens. Lily looks up to see James, Sirius and Peter clamber through it. James gives her one of his one-of-a-kind grins as Dinky approaches them with a bow.

"Mr. James, Dinky thought you might have left Miss Lily all alone tonight. He should know better though. Dinky will get your cocoa." The elf says. Before James can respond he continues, "Mr. Sirius can Dinky get your usual tray of éclairs?"

"Ah, yes Dinky, thank you." Sirius tells him.

"And Mr. Peter what can Dinky get you?" Peter looks around for a moment, deciding.

"I'll just eat some of Sirius' éclairs, thanks Dinky." With another bow he rushes off to get the cocoa and éclairs.

"Mind if I join you?" James asks standing next to his usual stool.

"Sure. How'd you know I was here?"

James looks away as he says, "I didn't. We just wanted some food and you just happened to be here."

Peter coughs and Sirius stands on his foot. "Prongs had a sudden hankering for cocoa, no idea why." Sirius says innocently.

Lily grins, she is definitely missing the joke, but she is glad to see them all the same. James it turns out hasn't been broken of the habit of their nightly hot cocoa's yet either.

"Here you are, Sirs. Can Dinky get you anything else?"

"No thank you, Dinky." James says politely and the house-elf bows and backs away from them.

"Well, we are heading back to the common room with this. We'll leave the cloak for you, Prongs." Sirius says and he and Peter leave carrying the tray of éclairs between them.

"They don't want to stay?" Lily asks.

"Nah, they promised the fifth years that they would bring them something sweet." James tells her taking a sip from his mug.

"What about you? Didn't you want to bring them something sweet?" Lily asks him in a suggestive tone.

James laughs. "I'm afraid that the mixture of the sweetness from the éclairs and my own natural sweetness would have sent those girls into a frenzy."

Lily laughs. She thoroughly enjoys spending time with James like this. It had started over break as just a way to cheer her up, but now she is glad that it wasn't just a one-time thing. This continued tradition is something she will miss if it ever goes away. He doesn't ask her why she's down here instead of on her date and she doesn't bring it up either. She doesn't want to talk about it, not when she is feeling so much better.

"Here." He says and transforms their empty mugs into a comfy looking pair of trainers. "Your feet are probably killing you."

"Thank you!" Lily says excitedly and pulls them on.

James pulls the cloak out and throws it over them so they can walk invisible back to their common room. "How did Peter and Sirius get back without getting caught if they left us the cloak?" Lily asks as they walk.

"I did tell you when I showed you the cloak that it is just one of our ways of getting around the castle undetected." He says giving her a smirk.

"What's another one?" She asks excitedly.

"Sorry, I can't tell you." He says shaking his head and Lily bugs him all the way back about what these methods might be.

"I know!" She announces as they pull the cloak off in the common room.

"Let's hear it then."

"You all can transfigure yourselves into suits of armor whenever you hear someone coming." She guesses knowing it is farfetched but hoping that he would finally cave in and just tell her.

He laughs loudly and continues to laugh for a whole minute. "That is actually a really good idea. I wonder why we never thought of it." He finally says.

"Because, you aren't nearly as smart as I am." She tells him and then turns and heads for her dormitory.

-J-3-L-

"Are you nervous?" Lily asks Beth as they walk down to breakfast the morning of the Quidditch final.

"Yes, but I will be fine after breakfast. Just need some food in my stomach."

"That is probably best." Mary agrees.

Both she and Lily are completely decked out in their scarlet and gold attire. Lily wearing the hat she had received at Easter and Mary wearing a pin for her newest boyfriend, the Gryffindor Keeper, Johnny Abercrombie. Lily would have worn a pin for her boyfriend too, but she thought it to be bad taste.

Normally it would be no problem. All the girlfriends and boyfriends of those who play Quidditch wear their significant other's pin during matches. But since her boyfriend is the captain for Ravenclaw and Gryffindor needs to beat Ravenclaw to win the cup, it doesn't seem like a good idea. It's not that she doesn't want Todd to do well, because she does. They had made up earlier in the week and Lily wants him to do his best, but she wants a Gryffindor win more. It's awful, but it's true. House loyalty seemingly runs deeper than she had previously thought.

When they reach the Great Hall Beth goes off to sit with the Gryffindor team at the end of the table and Lily and Mary join the others at their usual place.

Lily makes eye contact with James and mouths, "Good Luck."

He smiles and mouths back, "Thank you."

She glances over at the Ravenclaw table to do the same for Todd, but sees that he is not looking at her. He is immersed in conversation with his team. She had wished him good luck the previous night, so all is well.

"I say Beth catches the Snitch within the first ten minutes." Mary says as they make their way to the pitch with the remaining Marauders at their sides.

"Funny." Says an all too familiar nasally voice from behind them. Lily inwardly groans. She had been hoping that she would never have to hear that voice again.

"What's funny?" Mary asks turning.

The rest of the group comes to a halt as well and turn to face Danielle with her twin brother and Stebbins at her flanks.

"I was just saying how strange it is that Evans' boyfriend is Keeper for Ravenclaw yet here she is decorated in James' colors." Danielle says.

Lily is taken aback by this. She had thought Danielle was sneering at Mary's comment, not at her.

"Wow Danielle, I never thought your brain could get so full of air that you forget the obvious." Mary hurls at her scathingly.

"I didn't realize you stood by cheaters, Mary. Thought you were above that." Dennis tosses back.

"That's a bit hypocritical of you to say, Abbott. Considering whom you're standing next to." Sirius observes.

"No one asked you, Black." Stebbins says.

"Honestly, are you all so dense that you forget that Lily is a Gryffindor and of course would root for her house?" Remus asks.

"Come on, Lily, let's just go to the pitch. They are just trying to wind you up." Sirius tells her and placing a hand on her back he leads her away, Peter, Remus and Mary following.

It is still so surreal for Lily to have people come to her defense like this. But they're her friends. _Friends isn't a strong enough word to describe the group of people at my side._ _Housemates maybe?_

_No… they are like my family._

-J-3-L-

The match is turning out to be the longest one Lily has ever been too. Usually school matches were over within an hour or two at most but this match is going on hour five.

Lily feels awful for Todd. It is definitely fair to say that James and his fellow Chasers have bested him today. James has scored a total of thirty-one goals so far and has only shot for thirty-nine, making Todd's saves against him only seven. Not a very good record at all. James starts to lay off Todd after his thirty-second goal and only attempts to score when he absolutely has to. Lily watches him actually fumble the Quaffle a few times on purpose. She is extremely grateful to him, knowing how embarrassed Todd must be.

"The score is now six-hundred and thirty to seventy in favor of whom else but Gryffindor. It looks like Potter has really taken pity on Selwyn. Let that last shot fly at least ten meters from any of the goal posts." Natalie Edgecombe's magically enhanced voice announces to the crowd.

Lily is furious with her for pointing this out. She can see Todd's face go bright red at these words. _Doesn't she see that Todd is already embarrassed enough? _But no matter how sorry Lily feels for Todd, she can't help but admire James' gallantry in a moment like this. He backed off once he realized that there was no way Gryffindor could lose the match, knowing that scoring more would just be adding insult to injury.

The Gryffindor's around her already seem to be celebrating the win and Ravenclaws commiserating their loss. Most of the Slytherins had left the stands and the Hufflepuffs seemed divided, some leaving, some celebrating and other sitting sadly shaking their heads.

"Ah, and it looks like Robins has seen the Snitch finally." Natalie announces and Lily looks around to see her friend darting for the Ravenclaw goalpost, Ravenclaw Seeker, Aaron Smith, hot on her tail.

"Hopefully this will end the bloodbath."

The crowd goes silent as both Seekers reach out for the Snitch. A roar of cheers erupts in the Gryffindor stands as Beth pulls away with the Snitch tightly clasped in her hand.

"And Elizabeth Robins grabs the Snitch for Gryffindor pushing them further into the lead and winning them the cup with a remarkable final score of seven-hundred and ninety to eighty!" Natalie calls.

Lily watches as James collides with Beth in midair and pulls her into a bear hug. The rest of the team joins them and they make their way down to the ground where Dumbledore waits with the cup. Lily rushes onto the field screaming her excitement with the rest of her house. She has her eyes glued on James as he hoists the cup into the air triumphantly.

She doesn't notice Todd land on the opposite end of the pitch and chuck his broom on the ground before stalking off.

-J-3-L-

Hours later the Gryffindor common room is still packed full of students celebrating. Lily looks around and spots Beth and Mary chatting with Remus and Peter and Sirius and James surrounded by a large group of girls close by.

Lily hasn't gotten a chance to congratulate James yet, he has been surrounded by the same group of twittering girls since the match ended. As if sensing her gaze he looks up and gives her one of his grins. He takes a few steps forward as if he is about to come over and talk to her, but one of the girls steps into his path. He drops his gaze and she frowns slightly before looking away.

She catches the time and sighs. Forty-five minutes 'til curfew. _I should really find Todd. Make sure he's alright. _She didn't see him after the match and she knows he's probably very upset. _I can congratulate James tomorrow_. She decides and leaves the common room to find Todd.

After nearly a half hour of searching she is stumped. He wasn't in the Library, the Owlery, the Prefect's Bathroom, or up on the Astronomy Tower. She knows it's not likely that he is out on the Quidditch Pitch after today so she heads towards Ravenclaw Tower. She runs into Prim on her way.

"Hey Lily, looking for Todd?"

"Hi Prim, yeah I am. Have you seen him?"

"Not since the match. I think he probably just wants to be alone." She says with a sad smile.

Lily nods. _He probably does just want to be left alone._ Then it hits her, something James had told her nearly a month ago.

_"Loads of students know about the kitchens. I am actually quite shocked you didn't know. Mary has been here loads before and Dee told me that she, Dennis, Stebbins and Selwyn used to come down here all the time. I figured Selwyn would have brought you down here at some point."_

Todd didn't tell her about the kitchens because it is his place to go to be alone. She debates with herself for a moment but decides to just go talk to him, if he wants to be alone she will leave him be.

She tickles the pear like James taught her and enters the kitchens. Lily looks around and notices quite a few more house-elves than she has ever seen in the kitchens before. She reminds herself that it's still five minutes to curfew and all the other times she has been down here it has been much later, when most of the elves were out cleaning the castle.

"Hello Miss," says a squeaky voice and Lily looks down to see a bowing elf. "Can Lissy get you anything?"

"Some hot cocoa would be lovely." Lily says.

As the elf rushes off she sees Todd sitting on a stool all by himself with an empty plate and several empty glasses in front of him. _How long has he been down here? _He didn't turn when Lily spoke so she takes the stool next to him tentatively.

"Hey." She says testing his mood.

"How'd you find me?" Todd asks in a defeated voice.

"I ran into Prim and she said you weren't in your common room and I checked everywhere else I could think of and I couldn't find you. I was about to give up but, on a whim, I checked here."

"You would have known where I was if you had paid any attention to me after the match. I was watching you. You didn't even glance in my direction after I lost."

Before Lily can reply, Dinky appears at her side with her cocoa.

"Hi, Miss Lily. Lissy told me you were here and Dinky insisted he serve you. Should Dinky get Mr. James' mug ready for him as well?" Dinky asks looking excited.

Lily sees Todd's body stiffen at this, his face contorting in rage.

"No thank you, Dinky. That won't be necessary. James won't be joining us tonight." Lily tells him quickly. Dinky bows to them and walks away smiling.

"You come here with Potter?" Todd asks his voice low and dangerous.

"It's nothing, Todd. I was upset about some things over Easter break and James brought me down here to cheer me up. It was just two friends getting hot chocolate together."

"He stayed here for Easter break too?"

_Shit, I am just digging myself in deeper aren't I?_

"Did he stay because you did? Or worse, did you only stay because he did?" Todd asks his voice rising with each question as his anger seems to build.

"No, it was just by chance. And we weren't alone, Sirius stayed behind too."

"So Black came here with you?"

_I should lie._

"Uh no, he didn't. It is just James and I that come here." Todd raises his eyebrows at her phrasing and she can see his face going red with anger. "But like I said, it's just two friends getting cocoa, nothing more." Lily says quickly, trying to cover up the fact that she just gave away too much information.

"Why do we always end up fighting about this?" She asks exasperatedly, getting angry now. She only came down here to comfort him and he turns it into a fight about James.

"Because you're always with him! Everywhere I look. At mealtimes, in _every_ lesson, in the corridors, on the grounds, in Hogsmeade and even here. Now I come to find out that you spent all break cozying up to him up in Gryffindor Tower. You can't seem to stay away from him, can you?"

"Because we are in the same house! We have all the same friends. We are friends! That's it. James is my friend. He understands a lot of what is going on in my life right now and helps me through it."

"And I don't?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that he is my friend so of course I spend time with him. But you are my boyfriend. I wouldn't be here with you if I wanted to be up there with him. Think about it." _I actually would rather be up there listening to those bimbos fawn over him than sitting here having this conversation with you._

"You were with him all evening. You just now came to find me."

"I wasn't with him; I was with my whole house. And I would have been here sooner if I had known where you were."

"Why is so important that you spend time with your house? You never used to celebrate with them like this."

This is perfectly true. Up until this year Lily hadn't cared much if Gryffindor won or lost, she went to the matches and cheered Beth on but when they would party late into the night she would excuse herself politely and go up to her dormitory.

"Things change." She tells him simply. "I have become closer to the people in my house this year. Two of my best friends play on the team. How can I not support them? They are my family."

"Family? How are they your family, Lily? You are being ridiculous."

"Beth and Mary are like the sisters I wish I had gotten. Sirius, Remus and Peter are like the brothers I was never given. They are my family. We support each other and have each other's backs like a family does."

"You didn't include Potter in that list. Is he like a brother to you as well?"

_Lie. I need to lie. It will be easier._

"James is different. He supports me and sticks up for me just like the others, but in a strange way he seems to care more. He is my best friend. In my eyes, that makes him family as well."

"So what you are telling me is that you care for Potter more than the rest of this little faux family?"

_Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie!_

"I guess you could put it that way." Lily says knowing he missed the whole purpose of her telling him this. She doesn't want him to get angrier but feels like he should know this. _Maybe it will make it easier for him to see me spending time with James._

"And you wonder why I don't like you spending time with him." _Or maybe not._

"How can I not be jealous when you say things like that? You used to hate Potter and called him all sorts of colorful names. Remember when he would make you so angry that you would refuse to patrol with Lupin just because he is friends with Potter? I do because I patrolled with you on those nights. I just can't see how you can go from that amount of dislike to being best friends."

Lily lets him continue on ranting thinking that he just needs some time to vent and then she will be able to explain everything to him calmly and everything will be fine again. Todd stands up and begins to pace.

"You know, he probably doesn't even care about you like you think he does. This is all probably some elaborate prank between him and his friends. '_See how long I it takes me to turn good girl Lily Evans into a rebel like us._' And it is working Lily! I don't even know you anymore. The old you would never be out this close to curfew. The old you wouldn't sneak down to the kitchens to get cocoa with Potter. The old you would certainly never regard Black or Lupin or Pettigrew as brothers. And the old you sure as hell wouldn't call Potter her best friend or support him or care about him in any way!" He finishes his speech looking angry and annoyed.

Lily stays silent as she too stands. She is outraged by his words and knows her voice will betray that. _How dare he say such things? Doesn't he know how much I've changed? Doesn't he understand how much happier I am now than I was back then?_

Before she can voice any of her thoughts the door to the kitchen swings open.

Lily hears Remus saying, "I wonder if we should get some deserts too."

And to her slight dismay it is James who replies to him. "Nah, I think the sandwiches should be enough, people are already wired as it is. No need to add sugar to the mix."

The two friends enter the room both fully visible and Lily finds herself relieved that they hadn't come in the cloak. It would have been extremely hard to explain to Todd where their voices were coming from if they were invisible. James and Remus stop dead in their tracks when they catch sight of Lily and Todd standing awkwardly near the counter.

"Uh, hi." James says in a shocked but cheery voice.

"Bloody brilliant!" Todd exclaims throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

"Sorry if we interrupted your date." Remus says sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, sorry. We didn't realize anyone would be in here." James says throwing Todd an apologetic smile.

Dinky approaches the new comers with a bow. "Hello Mr. Remus. And Mr. James, what a pleasant surprise it is for Dinky to see you. Miss Lily said you would not be joining her tonight."

"Uh yeah, didn't plan on it Dinky. Listen, can we get some sandwiches to take back to Gryffindor Tower?" James asks quickly obviously sensing that he and Remus had just walked in on an awkward situation.

"Of course, Mr. James! Dinky will make them for you right away." And bowing the elf heads off to get their food.

"Here I am thinking that you came down here to see me, but all this time you've been just waiting for Potter arrive!" Todd snaps at Lily. Everyone looks taken aback by his words. Lily feels a fresh wave of anger rush through her.

James looks bemused as he addresses this accusation. "No it's nothing like that. Honestly. Remus and I were just coming down here to get sandwiches for the par- for our house." He says correcting himself. Lily registers that he had been about to say party, but that he must have realized that would just rub Todd's nose in his loss even further, so he stopped himself.

"Really, Potter? You are going to stand there and talk to me like I'm an idiot. I know you fancy her! Everyone knows! But you listen here you arrogant little arsehole, she is mine, you hear? Mine! She doesn't need you. You aren't to spend time with her anymore, got it? You don't talk to her anymore. You don't even bloody _look_ at her anymore. You understand me? She doesn't want to be your friend anymore!" Todd bellows at James.

James just stares back at him with a mixture of hurt and shock. Everyone is silent. James and Todd just stare at each other. Lily looks back and forth between them, unable to think of what to do.

"I didn't realize Lily couldn't speak for herself." Remus finally says with his arms crossed over his chest, a look of disdain his face.

Lily gives him a grateful little nod. She is glad that he spoke up in her defense because she is afraid that the rage bubbling inside her now will render her incomprehensible if she tries to speak. Todd ignores Remus and continues to glare at James in hatred. James stares back at him.

"Lily is a brilliant person and I care about her a lot. She means more to me than your puny little brain could even fathom. She is not an object that you can own and order around. I know that you are her boyfriend and she wants to be with you, although, I don't know why. She can do about a hundred times better than the likes of you, but if she is happy, then I am happy. If my disappearing will make her happy, I will do it. I will leave her alone and stop talking to her. I won't even so much as glance in her direction, but it has to come from her. She has to be the one to tell me she wants me out of her life."

James turns to meet her eyes. "Lily, if this is what you want, if this is what will make you happy, then I will do it."

Lily stares into those hazel eyes. She sees all the fear and apprehension in them. Sees her own longing reflected in his determined gaze.

"You tell him, Lily." Todd demands turning to her as well. "Tell him you want him to disappear."

Lily finally tares her eyes away from James' and glances at Remus, who looks uncomfortable to be present for this argument, before turning back to Todd. Her eyes meet his as she finds her voice for the first time since James and Remus arrived.

"How dare you try and tell me who I can and cannot talk to. How dare you threaten James like that? He has done nothing but be nice to you. You understand what happened today on the Quidditch Pitch, don't you? James backed off you because he was being nice. He could have scored loads more than the thirty-four goals he did make. But he felt bad for how awful you are, so he took pity on you. You know what kind of a person does that? A man. A real man. I told you earlier that James understands things about me, this is it. He understands compassion and caring, things you seem to be severely lacking."

Todd's face falls from his hopeful expression as she continues.

"You are right, I did think James was an arrogant bullying toerag. I never used to get on with him at all, but he changed. More importantly, I changed. Things change. I am not the girl you thought I was because you're right, she wouldn't have ever hung around with James or Remus and she'd never of been out after curfew. But she was also no fun and desperately required friends. I like who I have become and James is a big part of that. I am happier than I have ever been in my life and James, Remus, Sirius, Mary, Beth and Peter keep me that way. Like I told you earlier, they are my family, and I need them. I do not however need _you_. If you don't want me to see James anymore, then I don't want to see you anymore."

Lily finishes her speech and walks over to stand between James and Remus with her arms crossed over her chest defiantly.

Dinky returns at that precise moment with three platters of sandwiches for them to take back up to their housemates. They each take one and thank Dinky before Lily turns back to Todd. _Should I just leave? Should I say something else?_

But before she can decide Todd speaks. "Fine, run off with your "_family"_." He sneers at her. "But you will regret this choice. Potter will get you into trouble and I won't be there to help you."

"Good." Lily says cuttingly. "I don't want or need your help and I will be better off without your protection, just ask your goal posts." She turns her back on him then satisfied, even though she knows she had delivered a low blow.

She only takes a few steps when she hears a yell, a tray crash to the floor and then two loud thuds. Lily turns around as another tray crashes to the floor and she sees Remus lunge himself at Todd and wrestle him to the ground.

Her eyes then fall on James lying motionless on the floor in a pool of his own blood. She hears the distant sound of her own tray hitting the floor as she sinks to her knees at James' side.

* * *

**A/N – DUN, DUN, DUN!**

**Is James alive? Did Todd kill him? What will happen? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Thrice Defied!  
(That was all supposed to be said in the voice of a Soap Opera narrator lol)**

**Let me know what you think. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N – :) I couldn't leave you hanging for long.**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

James opens his eyes to a pounding headache. He sits up and realizes he is in the hospital wing. The last thing he remembers for sure was scoring a goal during the Quidditch Final. _Must have taken a bludger to the head. _He thinks as Madam Pomfrey walks around his curtain setting down several potions on his bedside table.

"How are you feeling, dear?" She asks tenderly when she sees that he is awake. He isn't used to the sweet and caring Pomfrey. Usually when he is in the ward she is patronizing and exasperated because he has just done something dangerous and stupid.

"My head is pounding." He tells her.

"That's to be expected, dear. You took a nasty bash to the head. There will be a scar I believe but with all that hair I doubt it will be noticeable." She muses and then turns her attention to the potions. "This is a blood replenishing potion, you need to take at least two more of these. This one here is a headache cure. Take it whenever you feel it's necessary. This last one is for dreamless sleep. I ask that you take this each night you are here. You need your rest." She instructs, showing him each of the potions.

She continues to babble on about how much good a good night's sleep can do your body. James lets the memory of the night wash over him. He had been turning away from Selwyn to follow Lily out of the kitchen when he heard Remus shout something. Then everything went dark. He couldn't remember anything after Remus' shout.

"How long have I been in here?" He asks the matron.

"Just about a day. All your supporters have all been in to visit and wish you well. I dare say they will be thrilled to see you are awake."

James looks around. It appears to be night-time, but not too late as he can still see some lights on throughout the castle. There were no other beds occupied, it seems as if he has the ward to himself. Madam Pomfrey bids him goodnight and heads off to her office extinguishing the lamps as she goes. He sighs and takes a swig of the headache potion and closes his eyes waiting for it to take effect.

A few minutes later he hears the ward door open with a near silent creak and then soft footsteps approaching his bed. _It has to be the others under the cloak coming to check on me._ He thinks but it sounds as if it is only one pair of feet and they are much softer than any of his fellow Marauders would be. James feels complete shock run through him as Lily pulls off the cloak next to his bed.

"Welcome back to the conscious world!" She says positively beaming.

James can't help but return her smile. "Look at you, sneaking out under the invisibility cloak like a regular Marauder." He says unable to remove the smile from his face.

She seems to brighten at this. "Yes, well it took some convincing but in the end Sirius said that they didn't really need it so it would be ok if I used it."

Before James can respond she steps forward and flings her arms around his neck pulling him into a tight hug. He wraps his arms around her waist without hesitating.

"I am so glad you are ok, James. I feel so awful about all this. It is all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Lily." He tells her giving her a gentle squeeze. He loves the way she feels in his arms. It feels so right. "It's not your fault at all. I should have known better than to turn my back on someone who was so angry. You did everything right. Standing up for yourself like that, I am so proud of you."

Lily breaks the hug but stays seated on the edge of his bed. She clasps his hand between both of hers. "I was also truly touched by the way you defended me and the others. You have no idea how much that meant to me." He tells her and he sees the pink rise in her cheeks.

"Madam Pomfrey said that you are going to have a scar, but that it won't be noticeable because of your hair." She says smiling down at their hands. "I think that's one of the reasons I like it so much."

James can feel his heart beating loudly in his chest and his stomach seems to fill with butterflies. Lily Evans is sitting on his hospital bed, holding his hand and paying him compliments. She had chosen him over her boyfriend and had told him that James is a big part of who she is. He can't remember ever being happier in his life. He is in love with this girl and, now more than ever, is completely convinced that she too has feelings for him.

More than anything he wants to brush the hair back from her face and run his hand through her luscious dark red locks, but he knows he can't. They are still just friends. And he is fine with that. _For now._

They continue to sit like this for a little while longer, Lily looking down at their hands as she traces small circles on his palm. It is so soothing James finds himself in a trance like state. When the ward doors open with a small creak it makes them both jump.

Lily quickly stands up and pulls the cloak back over herself. James turns towards the door and sees Sirius, Remus and Peter walking over to his bed. James gives them a small smile. He is happy that they've come to see him but he was also really enjoying the alone time with Lily.

"Hey Prongs, glad to see you are awake mate." Sirius says and then turns to the corner with the nightstand where James knows Lily must be still standing. "You can take the cloak off, Lily. We know you're here." He says taking the seat next to the bed.

Lily removes the cloak and points her wand at Pomfrey's office. "_Muffliato."_ She casts. "How did you know I was there?" She asks Sirius.

"What was that spell?" Remus asks looking confused.

"You first." Lily demands.

"Ours will take longer to explain." Sirius reasons.

"Fine. It will allow us to talk normally without being overheard."

"Nice!" Peter says appreciatively.

"Where'd you learn that?" Remus asks suspiciously.

"I, uh, read about it." Lily says. "Now explain." She adds quickly looking at Sirius.

James has a funny feeling she isn't being completely honest about where she learned the spell, but as it doesn't matter much, he decides to let it go.

"I think, Lily, it is time that you know another of our Marauding secrets. That is if, if Prongs agrees that we can tell you." Remus says a smile playing on his lips.

"I believe it is time." James agrees and looks over to Sirius.

"You are in for a real treat here, Miss Evans. Hand it over, Wormtail." Sirius says gesturing to Lily. James now only has eyes for Lily. She looks confused and excited at the same time.

"Are we sure we want to do this?" Peter asks hesitantly.

James doesn't even glance at his friend as he responds. "I think Lily has more than proved her loyalty to us. Besides, we know she can keep a secret. She didn't tell anyone about Moony or my cloak. Did she?"

He gives her a reassuring smile as she turns from him to look at Peter. "I promise that I won't tell anyone, Peter. I will take it with me to my grave."

The other three boys laugh at this and Peter hands over the parchment. _Lily really is the perfect girl._ James decides.

"What is this?" She asks looking over the map.

"It is the Marauder's Map, my dear." Sirius says jovially.

"It's how we get away with sneaking around the school at night when we don't have the cloak." Remus tells her.

"We made it ourselves." Peter adds a tad sourly.

Lily turns back to James. "Is this a joke? Are you guys just trying to prank me?" She asks resuming her seat on the edge of his bed.

James puts on his best fake hurtful face before he responds. "Miss Evans, please place your wand on the map and raise your left hand and repeat after me." He tells her and after a moment's hesitation she holds her wand out to the map and raises her left arm.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." James says and Lily repeats it at the same time as Remus, Peter and Sirius.

He gives her a nod and she looks down at the map her eyes widening in amazement.

"This is the castle." She says awestruck. "It's… spectacular. Is it real?"

"Course it is." Sirius says and stands to show her how it works.

James turns his attention to Remus. "So what happened? How'd I crack my skull open? I don't recall much."

"Well, when you turned around to follow Lily, Selwyn raised his wand. I shouted to warn you, but it was too late. I had forgotten my wand up in the common room so I was less than useless to stop him." Remus admits hanging his head.

"It's alright, Moony. You weren't anticipating getting into a fight when we went down to get sandwiches." James says fairly.

"True."

"So what did he use?" James asks.

"Stunner. Hit you right in the back, when you fell you hit your head on the corner of one of the stools, cracked your head open. I was afraid of him turning his wand on Lily so I just lunged at him. Dinky had to bind us up with some rope to get us apart. By the time I had calmed down, Lily had already left with you." Remus says and James looks over to Lily who had stopped examining the map to listen to Remus' explanation.

"I was in shock for a minute but then I conjured a stretcher and got you up here as quick as I could. There was blood everywhere. It was lucky you weren't worse off, I was so scared I was going to be too late." Lily says, her hand shaking slightly. James grabs it and gives it a squeeze.

"It's alright Lily I am fine. You did perfectly." He tells her and turns back to Remus.

"So what are the punishments?"

"I got a detention and five points from Gryffindor for Muggle fighting, but as it was in defense, McGonagall didn't get too harsh with me. Flitwick gave Selwyn a week's worth of detentions and twenty points from Ravenclaw. Lily got awarded ten points for getting you up here quick, but we all got docked ten points for being out after curfew. So all-in-all Gryffindor lost twenty-five points and Ravenclaw lost thirty." Remus sums up for him.

"Wow, not bad. I thought we'd all get at least a week's worth from McGonagall."

"Me too." Lily admits.

James smiles around at his friends. Truthfully he is extremely tired, but he isn't quite ready to say goodnight to Lily yet. He tries to stifle a yawn but she catches him.

"You need rest. Here take your potion." She says handing it to him.

"No, I am fine really. I don't need any more rest." He tries to convince her.

"Yes you do. Don't worry we will be back to see you tomorrow." She tells him giving him another quick hug and gesturing for him to drink the potion.

James waves to his friends and takes a sip as Lily disappears beneath the cloak.

"By the way, I never got to tell you, you were brilliant in the Quidditch final. Congratulations." She whispers in his ear, invisible.

James grins broadly and then feels his eye lids getting heavy as he drifts back into unconsciousness.

-L-3-J-

James leaves the hospital wing on Tuesday evening much to Madam Pomfrey's displeasure. If she had her way James would be in there until exams started. When he arrives at the portrait of the Fat Lady it is to find her and her friend Violet giggling away about something.

"Evening ladies, exciting news?" He asks Violet.

"The most. You will never guess what I overheard this morning!" She gushes.

"Oh Vi, we can't tell him, he's a student!" The Fat Lady protests.

"But it is so juicy!"

"Fine, tell him if you like, but James, you did NOT hear it from us!"

"Understood." James says giving her a smirk. Usually he found the Fat Lady and her friend to be tiresome, but being locked away in the Hospital Wing for days tends to make you miss the small things in life.

"I overheard Minerva talking to Pomona in the staff room, and apparently Helena is retiring at the end of the year."

"Another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher gone after just one year?" James asks in shock.

"That's not the most shocking part." Violet continues. "Guess why she is leaving."

"No idea. Probably off to take down some ancient mummy in Egypt or something." James says thinking about his professor and all her insane stories. He quite likes her. She is his favorite Defense teacher yet.

"Nope. Got herself pregnant." Violet tells him.

"What? By who?" James asks stunned. He doesn't think the professor is married and he never sees her with anyone.

"Billius Zonko, you know the owner of the joke shop in Hogsmeade."

James nods. He does know Mr. Zonko. He has been in his shop countless times, but he just can't picture the two together. Zonko is fun and friendly and a little overly eccentric and Professor Roca is calm, responsible and gives off the aura of extreme respectfulness. The two don't seem to match.

"And what makes it worse is that Billius was dating Lori up until about a month ago. Pomona said that when she went in there to deliver her leaping toadstools for Lori's May displays she saw them in the middle of a big fight. Apparently Billius told her that he had been seeing Helena behind her back and that he was leaving Lori for her. It was a big mess. She threw several saucers at his head and chased him out of the shop."

James whistles lowly. What a triangle. The owner of the most nauseatingly romantic tea shop James has ever been in was dumped by the joke shop owner for another woman. James feels sad for everyone involved but at the same time he is quite grateful for this most distracting piece of news. It couldn't have come at a better time. Now everyone will be obsessed with discussing the love triangle of the shop owners and Professor Roca instead of the incident between himself, Lily and Selwyn.

"That is typical Billius. Remember when he tried to chat up Rosmerta a few years back and she turned him down." The Fat Lady says.

"Well of course she did, he is old enough to her father." Violet responds.

James quickly gives the password, sensing that a long and in-depth conversation is coming that would list every person Mr. Zonko, Rosmerta, Professor Roca and Madam Puddifoot have ever dated.

When James climbs through the portrait hole he immediately spots Lily sitting with Mary and Beth by the fire and heads over to join them. "James! You didn't say you were getting out tonight!" Mary exclaims as he sits down in an empty arm-chair.

"Are you feeling better?" Beth asks.

"Yeah, loads. Thanks for asking."

"We were just about to come visit you." Lily tells him.

"Well, I'm glad to see you are back and well James, but since we aren't visiting you I am going to go to the Library to study. The common room is just too loud right now." Mary tells him and she and Beth get up to go to the Library.

"You aren't going to go with them?" James asks Lily who stayed seated in her chair.

"No, they are studying for Care of Magical Creatures and I will be no help there."

James nods. "So, how bad have the rumors been?" He asks her knowing she will understand what he means.

"Not too awful. The worst of them being that Todd found us snogging in the kitchens and attacked you. Then Remus got mad because I apparently was seeing him behind both you and Todd's backs, so he attacked Todd for that." Lily sums up.

James rolls his eyes. Rumors are always worse than the real thing. "Well, hopefully they won't be talking about it for long. The Fat Lady and Violet have just uncovered a new piece of gossip that will make what happened the other night seem like nothing."

Lily looks at him puzzled and he fills her in on what he had just been told.

"Wow. That will definitely be the talk of the school tomorrow. Especially if Violet knows. I am sure all the paintings in the castle will know by sundown."

James agrees wholeheartedly, there is no other busybody quite like Violet. They fall silent for a moment. He doesn't know what to say. He wants to ask her what she is thinking or if she regrets her choice the other night. _Was I just her excuse to break up with her overbearing boyfriend? Maybe she doesn't have feelings for me. Maybe I imagined it all._

"James, I just wanted to tell you -" Lily begins but is cut off by the appearance of Sirius and Peter.

"Welcome back, mate! We were just going to come up to visit you!" Peter says sitting down.

James can't believe his luck. Lily was about to say something, maybe something that would clear up all his confusion, and she gets interrupted. _Awful timing_.

"Moony is just finishing a letter to his dad and then he will be down. Where are the others?" Sirius asks referring to Mary and Beth.

"Library, wanted to get away from the noise to study. I should probably do that too." Lily says and excuses herself. She heads up to her dormitory glancing back at James for only a second.

"Thanks a lot." James says to his friends sardonically.

"What we do?" Peter asks confused.

"Lily was about to tell me something and you guys show up and cut her off." He says. He knows he has no right to be angry, they don't know what they walked in on.

"Sorry mate, next time we will send a note asking if it is ok to join you." Sirius says matching James' tone.

"I just don't know where we stand now. I wish I knew how to ask."

"Well, you are still friends, so go with that. I am sure the subject will come up eventually." Sirius says shrugging.

_Yeah, we are still friends. That hasn't changed. No need for awkwardness. _James nods and then thinks about the pile of work he has to get done for the lessons he missed.

"Better get to work or I won't be able to go to Hogsmeade this weekend." James says and goes up to his dormitory to fetch his bag.

-L-3-J-

Saturday morning James heads into Hogsmeade with Peter, Lily and Beth. Mary, Remus and Sirius all have dates but promised to meet up with the others to have lunch for Beth's birthday.

"Where to first?" James asks as they enter the Village.

"I need a new quill." Beth says.

"No you don't." Peter tells her.

"What?"

"What Peter meant to say is that maybe you should wait until after you get your birthday gifts before you go shopping." James says covering his friends' tracks.

"Oh, well then I have no idea." Beth says looking excited at the idea of presents.

"Let's just go into Zonko's." Peter suggests. And they head out to look around the shops before meeting up with the others for lunch.

After a nice picnic, Beth opens her presents and thanks Peter for the quill he got her and then all the others for their gifts as well. The seven of them walk back to the castle together chatting merrily.

"Wish we could have done something like that for my birthday but you four decided to sneak into Hogsmeade instead." Mary says bitterly.

"Sorry Mary, but we had to drown Remus' sorrows over his furry-little-problem." James says.

"You know Remus if I had a rabbit that caused as many problems as yours does I would let him loose in the woods." Beth comments.

James, Sirius, Peter, Lily and Remus all erupt in laughter at this. _If only she knew what would happen if we set Remus' furry-little-problem loose in the woods._

-L-3-J-

Exam week goes fairly quickly for the sixth years. James finds himself out on the grounds under a large beech tree with all of his friends, trying to study for their last and final exam.

"Only one more left and then no more studying for three whole months." Mary says stretching.

"And it's Transfiguration too, so it'll be a piece of cake." James says confidently.

"Well then help me!" Lily exclaims. "I can't figure this out and you have a way of explaining it to me that McGonagall just can't." The others burst into laughter at this pronouncement and Lily's cheeks blush bright red as her own words register.

James laughs as well and pulls her text-book over to him. "Human transformations, huh? Well here, practice on me and I will walk you through what you need to do." He tells her and stands up.

"Ok, now I want you to turn my skin blue." He instructs. And after a few tries and few tweaks in her wand movements Lily seems to get the hang of it.

"See, now why can't McGonagall just do that."

"Because she has a whole classroom full of students where as I only have to teach you." James says. "And because you need the brilliant James Potter to explain everything to you." He adds with a cheeky grin.

Lily gives him a smirk. "You are right. Let me practice it one more time."

James steps back to allow her to use him as her practice dummy.

The others erupt in laughter. "What?"

All he gets in response is Mary handing him her compact. James opens it and looks at his reflection to see that Lily has turned his hair into long blonde curls.

"Oh you will pay for this. No one messes with the hair!" He says and makes to grab her but she runs from him.

He catches her easily and hoists her over his shoulder and dumps her into the lake. A water fight ensues and soon their friends join in.

-L-3-J-

As they leave their final exam James is feeling extremely confident.

"I am going to go send an owl to my mom, let her know we made it through exams alright. Anything you want me to tell her, Padfoot?" James asks.

"Nah, I wrote to her this morning."

James waves to his friends and makes his way up to the Owlery. _ I know I did well in all my exams, full moon is in a few days, and Lily and I are closer than we ever have been. Everything is going according to plan._

James has his head down deep in thought and runs headlong into Natalie Edgecombe.

"Sorry Nat, didn't see you there. Did I scare you?" He asks holding her steady as she clutches her chest.

"It's ok James, I just didn't expect to see you here." She says.

"It's a corridor. Am I not allowed in the corridors?" He asks cheekily.

"No, it just this isn't a very often travelled corridor."

"Right." He says looking at her confused. He doesn't like the way she is looking at him as if she wants to eat him.

"I'm just going to continue on my way to the Owlery." He tells her.

"Right you are. I'm sure we will bump into each other soon."

James doesn't respond but walks quickly away from her. He knows she has a crush on him, she has for years. But he's never given her any indication that he's interested in her and he isn't about to now. Not when he's so close to finally getting somewhere with Lily.

* * *

Lily turns quickly away from the scene she just witnessed in the corridor.

She had decided to send her parents an owl after all and made to follow James. As she came around the corner she saw him standing close to Natalie Edgecombe with his hands wrapped around her arms. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she can guess.

_James has a girlfriend._

-J-3-L-

Lily spent the rest of term with her friends either in the common room or out on the grounds, but she avoided eye contact with James as much as possible and never spent any time alone with him if she could help it.

She knows she is being irrational. She has no claim on him. He is perfectly free to date whom he pleases. But she had thought they shared some kind of connection after she had broken up with Todd. Then again, she never told him how she feels about him. She herself doesn't really know how she feels about him.

_Except, that when I saw him laying unmoving in the pool of his own blood,I felt as if my whole world had come crashing down around me. And it didn't really seem to be put back together until I was holding his warm hand in my own and looking into those hazel eyes again._

Her thoughts are completely jumbled and she keeps changing her mind. She likes him as more than a friend. That she knows for sure. _But friends are what we are._ She reminds herself.

_I suppose it make sense. We wouldn't work as a couple anyway. We are too different. I need someone who will always be there for me, treat me right. _She decides._ But who has ever been there for you more than James, who has ever treated you better?_ Her mind counters.

She has to stop thinking about this. _James has a girlfriend. He made his choice. He wants to just stay friends. He doesn't like me as anything more. Continuing to dwell on this will only drive me mad._

-J-3-L-

On the last day of term Lily and Remus board the train together and head to the Prefect's Carriage. As they walk down the train Remus breaches the subject Lily has been trying to avoid.

"What is going on with you and James?" He asks bluntly. Lily opens her mouth to deny anything is going on but he forestalls her. "Don't try and deny that anything happened, we all can tell. You have barely spoken to him since exams ended. What happened?"

Lily feels her face flush at the notion that she has been so blatantly obvious. "Nothing, I just haven't had much to say to him." She says hoping it sounds as nonchalant as she meant it to.

"Right, well he can't figure out what he did wrong. Poor bloke has been miserable for days. If you don't want to tell me why you are avoiding him that's fine, but I think you at least own him an explanation." He tells her in a stern, almost cold way.

Lily makes to respond, but all her defenses seem stupid. They finish their patrol in silence.

_He is right of course. James hasn't done anything wrong. I am just being childish. I have to let this go. So what if he has a girlfriend? He has had girlfriends before. He is still James. He is still my best friend._

When Remus opens the door to Marauder's Compartment Lily takes the seat next to James rather than the one next to Beth and turns to him.

"You will never guess what Prim told me in the prefect's carriage."

The look of sheer delight that comes across on James' face the moment she starts talking to him makes Lily's stomach do a back flip. He smiles at her in his distinctive James way and asks what Prim told her.

"She told me that she was talking to Professor Roca right before we left and Roca told her that she and Zonko are moving to France to be near her parents. Zonko's oldest son is going to run the shop from now on." James seems shocked by this.

They begin to speculate why they decided to leave and what is going to happen to Puddifoot. Lily decides she is glad that Remus told her to buck up. She missed talking to James, seeing him smile, watching his eyes light up as he laughs.

The train rolls to a stop at Kings Cross and James levitates both of their trunks out onto the platform where they meet back up with the others. She waves goodbye to Peter with the rest as his mother shoos him hurriedly through the barrier. Mary and Beth both give her hugs and promise to write and say they'll hang out over the summer.

Remus gives her a hug next and whispers in her ear, "You seem a lot happier now that you aren't being stubborn." She laughs and watches as he says goodbye to James and Sirius before apparating away.

Sirius looks at Lily and he holds up his hands. "I don't do the mushy goodbye stuff. I am sure I will see you before long." He says but smiles as she pulls him into a hug before he can stop her.

"Women." Sirius says exasperatedly and walks away.

Lily turns to James and, without saying anything, hugs him. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her in tighter as if he never wants to let her go. Lily sighs and reluctantly pulls away. She smiles up at him.

"I'll see you next year?" Her voice sounds sad, even to her.

"Well, there is Mary's party and I am going to write you all the time, so there is no getting out of that." Lily laughs. He always knows what to say.

"I know this is going to sound strange, but would you like to come meet my mum? She is staring at us and I'm pretty sure she'll hex me if I don't introduce you." He tells her blushing slightly.

Lily looks around to see a kind faced woman with grey hair smiling at them.

"Sure, I'd love to." She tells him and he grabs her hand and leads her over to where his mother stands waiting with Sirius.

"Mum, this is Lily Evans. Lily, this is my mum, Martha." James says beaming.

Lily holds out her hand for Mrs. Potter to shake. "It's lovely to meet you."

"Oh come here, dear. I'll have none of this formal hand shaking." She says and pulls Lily into a friendly hug. Lily smiles, James' mum is positively delightful.

"Thank you so much for the Easter Egg. Where did you find those Aero Bars?" Lily asks.

"It wasn't too hard, I sent James' father into the Muggle town near our house and had him ask the girl behind the counter what her favorite candy is. Then told him to buy all they had in stock. I think it worked out nicely." Lily laughs at this. Mrs. Potter strongly reminds her of James.

"I must be going. My parents will be waiting for me." She says reluctantly. "It was such a pleasure to finally meet you." She says to Mrs. Potter.

"You as well dear, and you must come stay with us over the summer. I will not take no for an answer." She says giving Lily another hug. "It will be nice to have another woman around the house for a change." She smiles.

"Tilly is a girl." Sirius says and Mrs. Potter shoots him a piercing glare. "Sorry. mum." He says in a small voice.

Lily laughs at the exchange. "That will be lovely Mrs. Potter. Thank you." She says.

She gives James another lingering hug before walking over to where her parents wait. She sighs and walks through the barrier that will take her to the Muggle world.

* * *

**A/N – Let me guess what you are screaming at your screens at this moment: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Why is this chapter so short?**

**The answers are: So many things and because the next one will be really, really, really long. **

**Also, I love this story too much to disappoint its fans. (All four of you) And I didn't want to stop in the middle of writing the next chapter, which I am fairly certain you will love. **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N –**** Put down the tar and feathers and read this instead! :)**

**As always,**_  
Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Letters and Notes will be in bold.**

* * *

The next few weeks pass excruciatingly slow for Lily.

She feels so lonely in her parents' house. Her dad works during the day and her mum spends most of her time helping Petunia with wedding things that Lily surely isn't welcome to participate in. She mostly sits alone in her room doing her homework. She writes back and forth with Mary and Beth and even tries to watch a little telly, but it just doesn't seem to hold the same appeal as it did when she was a child.

Mary had written her at the beginning of the week to tell her that her party would be that Saturday. Lily marks off another day on her calendar, thanking Merlin that the party is tomorrow. She is beyond excited. She can actually use magic out in the open away from her sister's disapproval. The only thing she making her slightly nervous about the next day is seeing James.

He told her he would write to her all the time, but he hasn't yet. She is concerned that his girlfriend is taking up all his time and that he either doesn't have time or doesn't want to talk to her anymore.

_But he introduced you to his mother, not her._ Lily reminds herself for what feels like the billionth time that summer. _Maybe he didn't think his mother would approve of her. She definitely isn't the 'bring-home-to-mother' type. She isn't nearly as bad as his last girlfriend, but she still isn't what he deserves. _Lily definitely doesn't like Natalie, but she doubts she would dislike her so much if she hadn't seen her and James together.

Just then an owl flies through Lily's open bedroom window and perches itself on her bed post. Lily jumps up excitedly as she recognizes the owl.

"Thanks Hamlet." She says removing the letter.

Hamlet gives her an affectionate nip on the finger before flying back out the window. Lily's heart fills with joy as she sees her name written in James untidy scrawl.

**Lily,**

**Sorry it has taken me so long to write to you. I hope you are well. I am well, as it is.**

**First week back from school my dad received a letter that his nephew Charlus (my cousin) and his son Phineas passed away. It was sad of course, but I didn't really know either of them. I think I only met Charlus once and I was really young. He was a lot older than we are, somewhere in his late fifties, I think, and I never met Phineas. Charlus moved to France when his dad (my uncle) passed away. I was only two at the time.**

**My mum and Charlus' wife (who happens to be Padfoot's great Aunt Dorea) never got on well apparently. We went to France for the funeral and Dorea and my mum got in a real big row when she found out that Padfoot has been living with us for the last year. We were getting ready to come home last week when we got word that Dorea passed away from a heart attack. We were going to stay for her funeral as well but Padfoot's family showed up. To avoid a full on catastrophe we decided to come home early.**

**We just got back yesterday. Sirius proceeded to take me down to the Muggle village by our house to get drunk and drown our 'sorrows'. He never even met Charlus or Phineas or even his great Aunt Dorea until we arrived in France. But, he seemed to think it would be a dishonor if we didn't send off what little memory we had of them properly. I warn you, stay away from tequila, that stuff is not nearly as forgiving as firewhiskey.**

**Mary wrote us while we were away to say that her party is tomorrow. Are you going? I hope you are. I will be there with The Marauders. I would love to see you.**

**My mum told me to ask you what weekend you would like to come stay. I understand, of course, if you don't want to come anymore, but it would be really good if you did.**

**How has your holiday been so far? Are things going well with Petunia? Is she being pleasant? What do you do to fill your days? You can't possibly be having any fun without me and the others around. Well, I don't want to waste anymore of your precious time. Sorry again for the ridiculously delayed letter.**

**I hope to see you tomorrow.**

– **James**

Lily finishes reading the letter with a smile on her face. She can imagine his facial expressions as if he were actually speaking these words to her. Her smile turns to a frown slowly. She had been mad at him for not writing her, thinking that he was ignoring her because he has a girlfriend, instead his family had suffered three losses. She feels sick with herself.

_How awful. I hope he really is ok. I didn't even know he had family in France. He never mentioned them before._

Lily has never known anyone who died. Both sets of her grandparents had passed before she was born and her only other relative was her mother's brother who lives in the United States. As far as Lily knows he is alive and well, but she has never met him. Lily stares at the letter in her hands wishing she knew what to say.

She pulls out a new scroll from her desk drawer and fills the quill James had given her with his favorite green ink. She hardly uses the color, it seems special somehow.

**James,**

**I am so incredibly sorry to hear about your cousins. That must have been awful to go through that. Let me know if there is anything I can do. I am glad to see that you aren't dwelling on it. It never does well to dwell on the dead and forget to live.**

**On a less serious note, though pertaining to Sirius, I have seen the effects of tequila and I agree that it does not seem very forgiving. I advise you stay away from Muggle liquor from now on.**

**I will be at Mary's party tomorrow. I am glad to hear that you will be there as well. I'm excited to see you and the rest of the gang.**

**Of course I still want to come stay with your family. I will check with my parents for a free weekend and let you know.**

**I am very well as it is, just bored. It is hard for me to be away from the wizarding world. I can't do magic round here. And that should answer your questions about Petunia. ****I spend most days in my room doing homework or helping my mum with household chores. You are right. It is hard to have fun without you and the others.**

**I will see you tomorrow.**

– **Lily**

Lily rereads the letter and ties it to Oscar's leg before sending him off.

_I hope James laughs at my Sirius joke. I hope I didn't sound too dull. Maybe I shouldn't have written back._ Her mind is once again racing. _He wrote me though. He said he would love to see me tomorrow. He still wants me to come stay with his family. He didn't mention a girlfriend once in his letter. He never mentions her, actually._

A knock comes at her door and Lily calls for whoever it is to come in.

"We are going to grab a bite. Petunia and Vernon are downstairs. If you would like to come with us, you may." Lily's mother says.

"They are staying behind?" Lily confirms.

"Yes."

"Then I would love to come." Lily says getting up and following her mother to the car. It didn't matter where they were going, anywhere would be better than being alone with Petunia and her prat of a fiancé.

-J-3-L-

Saturday evening finds Lily standing in front of her bedroom mirror. She appraises her reflection and sighs. This is her fifth outfit change so far. She walks down to the kitchen to get a second opinion.

"How about this one?" She asks her mum.

"Oh, it is very nice dear. Perfect." Lily can tell by her mother's tone that she hates the top. Lily drops her head into her hands.

_Why do I even care! James will be there with his girlfriend. He just didn't mention her because he doesn't want to make me jealous. He has to know how I feel about him and he feels bad for me. So why am I even trying to look good for him?_

She heads back upstairs to her room to stare aimlessly into her closet hoping that some combination of clothing will suddenly pop out at her.

"Wear the green halter that you got in London the other night." Petunia says leaning against her door frame. "It will look really good with a pair of blue jeans." Lily turns to look at her sister in amazement.

"That is perfect!" Lily exclaims excitedly.

"I just couldn't stand you trying on all these different outfits for the next two hours." She says and walks away. Lily changes into the proposed outfit and wonders how Petunia's mind works. She doesn't have time to analyze it now, she is already late.

She double checks her reflection. She looks good. The green halter top shows just enough cleavage and midriff to look sexy but not slutty and the jeans cling to her curves perfectly. She quickly re-curls a few pieces of her hair with her wand, hoping Petunia isn't looking. The green of the top accents her eyes perfectly.

_James, eat your heart out._ She thinks, smiling at her reflection before throwing a cloak over herself. Her father would never let her leave the house in this outfit.

"What did you choose Lily Belle?" Her father asks from behind his paper.

"Just normal wizards robes." Lily lies smoothly before saying goodbye and telling them she will see them tomorrow.

She goes back upstairs throws the cloak back on its hook and turns on the spot thinking determinedly of Mary's house.

She appears on the sidewalk and hurries back to where Mary and Beth were already seated. They chat about their summers for a bit while their peers slowly trickle into the tent. The real party doesn't start until later, when Mary's parents go to bed. Lily continues to glance at the opening in the tent anxiously, waiting for the arrival of The Marauders.

At half past nine she sees them enter and she watches as most of the females under the tent turn their attention to the four boys. Remus walks over to whisper something to Mary and James talks to her parents for a few moments. He spots her then and makes his way over to where she stands with Beth. Lily sees Natalie glaring at her jealously.

The other Marauders follow James over and Sirius calls to her when he gets within ear shot. "Looking good, Evans!" Lily blushes at this and James glares angrily at his friend. Sirius throws up his hands in an 'I give up' sort of way.

"You, uh, do look… well, brilliant." James says to her and she smirks at his embarrassment.

"Thank you both." She says and then suddenly the soft music stops. Lily listens as Mary's parents tell them all to be out by eleven and that they are going to bed. James grins at Lily.

"We'll be back." And then he, Sirius, Peter, Remus and Mary disappear from the tent.

Once Mary and Remus reappear Sirius and James come back into the tent with the mead and Peter turns the music up louder and moves the tables all back into one corner. People immediately start to dance. Lily watches as Prim leads her boyfriend Albert out onto the floor where Cait and Stebbins were already dancing. Remus heads onto the floor with a pretty looking Hufflepuff quickly followed by Mary with a boy Lily doesn't recognize. James and Peter return to Lily and Beth with drinks.

"Fancy a dance, Beth?" Peter asks sounding more bold than Lily has ever heard him.

"Sure Pete, sounds fun." She says setting down her drink.

"Wow, I didn't know that Peter likes Beth. He does know she has a boyfriend, doesn't he?" Lily asks James, turning to him. She gives herself a mental pat on the back as she watches his eyes rove up and down her body.

"Yeah, he knows. He just doesn't want to be the only one not dancing again. He says he always gets left out."

Lily smiles. "I am really sorry about your cousin and his family."

He gives her a warm smile. "Thank you, but I am not too torn up over it. I know that sounds rather tactless but I didn't know them. My dad barely knew them. He is still a little sore over it, but I think it's just because he and I are the only living Potter men left." James says wisely.

Lily nods and then gives a shiver. Now that the sun has set it is rather chilly in her skimpy top. James picks up a napkin from the nearest table. He transfigures it into a white cardigan and he drapes it around her shoulders.

"I hate to hide that shirt, it's quite good." He says in a slightly husky voice. "It matches your eyes brilliantly."

Lily grins. _I knew he would say that. _This is the exact reaction she had been hoping to get from him.

She glances back to the dance floor to tear herself away from James' hazel gaze and sees Sirius dancing rather suggestively with Natalie Edgecombe. Lily's jaw drops in amazement and she looks up at James to gage his reaction. _Why isn't he upset? Has he not seen? Not this again! _ He follows her eye line and smiles.

"Did I tell you that Natalie tried to make a pass at me?" James asks her and without waiting for her answer he continues. "I ran into her the day exams ended, literally ran into her. And, well, I've known for a while that she had a crush on me. But she is not at all my type. So, I caught up with her a few days later. Let her know she should try for Sirius. They are much better suited for each other. See what I mean?" James says.

Lily mentally smacks herself. _Of course James wouldn't go for someone like that. He wouldn't want a repeat of Danielle. How stupid I've been. _She tugs the sweater tighter around herself, suddenly feeling foolish for using such ridiculous antics to try to show him what he is missing.

He smiles at her. "Have I told you how much I like your outfit today?" He asks.

She hits him playfully on the chest and he grabs her hand and holds it in his. "Fancy a dance?" He asks his eyes shining bright behind his glasses.

"Sure." Lily accepts. "But I warn you, I am not the best dancer."

James leads her to the floor. Holding her tight in his arms he begins to twirl her around the floor. "That's ok, I can teach you." He whispers in her ear.

Lily spends most of the night dancing with James. When he goes off to spend time with his friends Lily dances with Mary and Beth for a bit before they take a break to talk.

"Spill!" Mary says pulling Lily over to a secluded table while Beth goes to grab some drinks.

"Spill what?"

"Oh come on Lily! Why have you and James been basically inseparable all night?" Mary says a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"We have not. He's been with The Marauders just as much as me, if not more."

Mary raises her eyebrows as Beth sits down. "So, what is going on, what did she say?" Beth asks Mary.

"I didn't say anything, because there is nothing to say!" Lily says indignantly.

"Oh come on, Lily. You've been dancing forever!" Beth says.

"So? You were dancing with Peter that whole time." Lily says. Beth laughs.

"Wow, you really weren't paying attention at all, were you?" Mary comments.

"What, she was dancing with him right before we came over here."

"Yeah, I danced with him twice. Right in the beginning when you and James started and then nearly two hours later which was just now."

_How unobservant I have been_. Lily hadn't really noticed who was dancing with whom while she was with James. She hadn't noticed much else besides his hands on her back, her waist, wrapping around her tighter the closer they got. _Were we really dancing for two hours? I didn't seem to be that long._ _It must have been. I guess time really does fly by when you are having fun._

"Well?" Mary asks impatiently.

"Well, what?" Lily asks slightly annoyed.

"What is going on? Don't try and lie to us, Lily. We all know you two fancy each other! Why won't you just admit it?" Beth asks.

"I don't know that." It is perfectly true. She knows she fancies James, but she isn't completely sure he likes her back. She is pretty sure, but it seems arrogant to admit it.

"Well we do." Mary tells her.

The Marauders join them then, bringing fresh drinks. James sits down next to Lily and she is extremely glad for the interruption. She isn't quite ready to tell her friends exactly how she feels, especially because her insides keep jumping and fluttering every time James touches her.

"Don't look behind you, ok?" James says and then chuckles as she immediately turns to look.

Lily's jaw drops open.

"He told you not to look." Sirius reminds her.

"It's one of those things, someone says 'don't look' and you have to look." Mary explains.

"Danielle and Todd?" Lily asks astonished as she watches Todd grope Danielle indecently while locked in a close embrace.

"Looks like it." James chuckles. "You ok?" He asks her, concern and slight sadness in his eyes.

_Is he sad because he still has feelings for Danielle? Does he regret letting her go? Does he wish he and Todd were in opposite spots right now?_

"I'm fine, they deserve each other." Lily tells him.

Suddenly the expression on his face clears. The concern is replaced with relief and the sadness with excitement. _I guess not._

"Let's dance some more, we don't have much longer. We promised my mum we wouldn't get in too late." James tells her and again leads her out onto the floor.

Lily can't erase the smile that seems to be permanently glued on her face. When James finally leads her off the floor she feels the smile fade. She was having such a wonderful time. She doesn't want it to end.

"I will see you in a few weeks." He tells her.

"Definitely." She confirms remembering the plans they had made earlier for her to come stay at his house for the weekend. But even that seemed too far away.

"And I will write and I won't take forever this time, I promise." He says holding up his hand as if to swear.

"You better." She says lamely.

She can't think of what to say. Everything seems wrong. She doesn't want the night to end, wants to spend more time with him. But as she isn't exactly sure what that means, she doesn't want to say anything that will scare him off. They are just friends after all.

Mary stumbles over to them then and leans against Lily for support. "Libby. Whoops, I mean Lizzy. No that is you, not her!" Mary says laughing hysterically as she points to Beth.

"Lizzy? What has she been drinking?" Beth asks coming over to support her friend on the other side.

"I may have let her have some of my flask." Peter admits guiltily as he and Remus join them.

"Oh Wormtail, you didn't!" Remus complains.

"Why, what's in his flask?" Lily asks concerned.

"Tequila." James admits a small smile on his face. "I did tell you Padfoot discovered Muggle liquor recently." James tells Lily.

She gives a little laugh, he had. "We better get her to bed before she runs in and wakes her parents."

"We'll get the last stragglers out of here and clear up." James tells her.

"What about getting home on time?" Lily asks concerned that James may get into trouble with his parents and then she may not be allowed to stay.

"It's alright, Padfoot has come in far later than three in the morning. It should be no problem." James tells her.

"Lizzy, tell Alfie why we think he is cute!" Mary says loudly as Sirius joins the group, also looking to be a little tipsy.

"Who is Alfie?" Beth asks completely confused.

"Me!" Sirius says. "Alfie is my name, looking cute is my game." He crosses his arms over his chest. Clearly he is under the impression that there is a pole next to him for he moves to lean onto it, but instead he falls to the ground.

Mary erupts in fresh laughter and she too falls to the ground. Lily and Beth pick their friend up from the ground and proceed to take her up the house, thanking the boys one last time. Lily glances behind her to see James still standing in the same spot watching her walk away. She smiles widely as they close the back door behind them.

_What a wonderful night._

* * *

James lays awake in bed the morning before Lily's arrival. His thoughts on the dream he had been having moments before waking. It had consisted mainly of Lily and that wonderful green halter and those skin-tight denims.

_Did she wear that outfit to torture me? She must know what it had done to me. _He decides he needs a nice long shower before going down to breakfast.

James sits down at the kitchen counter and looks around the empty room. Usually his parents would be awake by now. Tilly brings him a plate of food with a warm smile and a bow. "Where are my parents?" He asks her.

"Master and Mistress went into the Muggle village. Mistress told Tilly they need some last-minute supplies." James nods and continues eating his breakfast.

James' mother has been fussing over Lily's visit ever since James had told her the date. Well, ever since James had told her about Lily, if he is being honest. But he knows she wants everything to be perfect. He wants it to be perfect as well. He doesn't want Lily to be uncomfortable here.

After breakfast he checks his watch. He still has two hours before he and Sirius have to meet Lily. _Where is Padfoot anyway?_ He wonders. James makes his way up through the house, deciding to go and wake his friend.

Potter Manor is a large home. It consists of more than twenty bedrooms and more bathrooms than James have ever cared to count.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter's suite is one the ground floor along with Tilly's room, two guest rooms, and the room Remus always stays in. He prefers a ground room floor so he can be close to the gardens, where he likes to spend time when he can't sleep. Also on the ground floor are the living rooms, the library, the dining room, the kitchen, the wash room and a large entrance hall.

The second floor houses the large ball room with the parlor and a lounge.

The third floor is where James' room is. Along with another guest bedroom, that no one ever stays in, and the large Marauder Room, as he calls it.

The fourth, and final, floor holds the drawing room, Sirius' room, and tons of guest bedrooms. One of which Peter always stays in and the others Mrs. Potter offers to her friends or to out of town guests. Since his father used to be the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation they often have foreign guests.

James climbs the stairs up to the fourth floor hoping to waste a bit of time in the process. When he reaches Sirius' room it's to find his friend exiting at the same time.

"There you are. I was just about to wake you. We have to go get Lily in about an hour and a half. Better come get breakfast." He says and his friend gives him a knowing smile.

"You a bit excited, eh Prongs?" And Sirius continues to heckle him all the way back down to the kitchen.

At a quarter to one James and Sirius disapparate to the Leaky Caldron where they are meeting Lily so they can bring her back to his house. Having never been there before she will need to join James via side along Apparition.

Lily enters a few moments after them and Sirius offers to take her bags for her and disapparates with them quickly.

"Ready?" He asks holding out his arm to her.

"Ready." She confirms squeezing his arm tightly as they turn on the spot together. After a moment of pressure and swirling they arrive at the gate to Potter Manor.

"This is a house?" Lily asks amazedly, loosening her grip on James' arm but not letting go entirely.

James smiles sideways at her. "Yes." He says leading her up the walk, glad he decided to bring her in from the gate instead of just apparating into the living room. This way she gets the full effect of the house.

He glances down at her again and sees she looks even more nervous than she did in the Leaky Caldron. "Are you alright?" He asks concerned.

"If you don't want to come in Lily, you don't have to. I will get your bags and then you can apparate home." He tells her not quite hiding his disappointment. _Maybe I should have just brought her into the living room._

"Or if you can't then I will take you back to the Leaky Caldron. Or the Night Bus, we can see if they have any openings. Or I can take you to the Muggle town just down the road. We can see if we can get you some sort of transp-" She cuts him off by placing her free hand over his mouth.

"It's nothing like that. It's just… I mean, I guess I knew you had money. I just didn't know that you have _money."_ She says emphasizing the second 'money'.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"Your house can fit at least four of mine inside it." She says still awestruck.

James frowns down at her. He doesn't know what to say or do. _Is that bad? Does she think that I brought her here just to brag about money?_

"It's a lot less intimidating once you're inside. I promise." He says giving her a weak smile, testing if this is the right thing to say.

She smiles up at him. He loves that smile. It makes his heart melt in his chest. "Lead the way." She tells him.

* * *

_James is right. It is definitely less intimidating inside._ Lily thinks as he closes the door behind them.

The entrance hall is large but warm. The dark oak finishing all around match the marble of the floor perfectly and on the walls are paintings of landscapes with birds and horses all moving between the frames. Along the hall that leads back into the house are portraits of family and pictures, loads of pictures. It is less like a mansion inside and more like a home.

James leads her past several doors, promising to give her a proper tour after they meet his family. He leads her into a large living room where three people are already seated. Sirius sits on the small love seat with James' mother who immediately stands as they enter the room and pulls Lily into a tight hug.

"Welcome to our home, Lily. I am so excited to have you here." She says.

James' father takes Lily's hand in his and bows very gentlemanly. "Miss Evans, I presume. It is a pleasure to meet you." He says releasing her hand with a smile. He, like his wife, is grey haired and elderly. Lily wonders how old they are. James told her once that they had him very late in life, she just hadn't realized how late.

"It is lovely to meet you as well Mr. Potter, but please call me Lily." She says and he laughs.

"Are you hungry, dear?" Mrs. Potter asks her. "We are having lunch on the patio in a few minutes if you would like to join us. We understand of course if you would like to settle into your room first." She says.

"Lunch sounds lovely." Lily tells her, hunger suddenly setting in after the initial wave of nerves leave her.

James' family is delightful. His house is rather daunting, but she is getting more and more used to it as the seconds tick by. Just then a tiny house elf enters the room. She is dressed in a very clean white pillow case that is held up by a thin golden rope tied around her waist. Her outfit reminds Lily of the Muggle Ancient Greeks.

"Lunch is severed on the patio, Masters." She says in a high-pitched squeak.

"Thank you, Tilly." Mr. Potter says and the elf bows gracefully out of the room.

Lily remembers James mentioning Tilly several times before. She had never known house-elves even existed until her fourth year when she and Mary had accidentally run into one. It was very strange for her to realize how common they seem to be. Mary's family has one, James' has one and she has heard Sirius talk about his mother's house-elf several times. Although, his was never anything like the caring tone that James and Mary spoke of their family house-elves.

"Shall we?" Sirius says standing and already to the doorway before anyone else had moved. Lily laughs and Mrs. Potter scoffs.

"Such a gentleman. We really need to teach him some proper manners one of these days." She says to her husband as he holds out his arm to her and leads her from the room. James holds out his arm to Lily and she takes it.

"Well thank you, kind sir." She says teasing him.

"My mum will wallop me if I'm not a proper gentleman all weekend, So, expect a lot more of this." He says smirking at her.

She smiles back. "I could get used to it." She tells him as he leads her out through another hall onto the patio. He pulls out a chair for her before taking the seat next to it. Sirius is already seated across from them waiting impatiently to begin eating and his parents sit on either end of the table.

The patio is just as beautiful as the rest of the house, large and open with giant pillars overlooking a large garden. In the distance she can see a gazebo and even further away, what looks to be, a Quidditch Pitch.

Lunch is delicious and the conversation very pleasant.

Tilly begins to clear the table and Mrs. Potter asks, "Jamie dear, would you like to show Lily her room?"

James blushes at his mother's nickname but stands up and pulls Lily's chair out for her. "Tilly set her up in the third floor guest room, it seemed easier that way." Mrs. Potter tells him.

"Of course." James says and then turns to Sirius. "Coming Padfoot?"

"Nah, I'm going to go try and pick up that Muggle shop girl, she is quite the looker." Sirius says. James leads Lily back into the house as Mrs. Potter reprimands Sirius while Mr. Potter tries to hide his smile.

"Would you like the formal tour or would you like to see your room first?" He asks her.

"The formal tour first I think." And she grabs his arm as he leads her around.

"This is obviously the dining room, and through that door is the kitchen. Down this hall are Tilly's room and the wash room. Over here are two guest bedrooms and Remus' usual room along with another sitting room and the library." He says.

"Library?" Lily asks eagerly.

"Don't get too excited, it's not nearly as ornate as the one at Hogwarts. It's mostly books my dad has acquired over the years. There are some excellent ones on Runes though. I will let you look around a little later, for now though, we must finish the tour." She nods but looks wistfully back to the door leading to the Library.

"This is the grand living room, the one we were in when you arrived, and that whole wing is my parent's suite. It's just their room, my dad's study and his office and my mum's planning room."

He leads her back towards the entrance hall and lets her stop to examine the photos. There are some of James as a baby and a child, some of him on a broom, then some with his mother and father. A few of people Lily doesn't know and then some of Sirius too. Lily pauses at the photo of James' mother and father on their wedding day and she smiles.

Mr. Potter looks like an exact duplicate of James, except the eyes, while James has hazel his father has blue. The young Mrs. Potter surprises her though. Instead of the dark hair Lily had expected, she sees that Mrs. Potter had red hair like Lily's, before it turned grey. Lily wonders how long ago it was taken. Wonders how long James' parents have been together.

"Come on, we have three more floors to get to." He tells her and then leads her up the stairs to the second floor.

"This is the parlor and through the smaller door is the lounge. The large doors lead to the ball room, which pretty much takes up the entire floor." He tells her and then leads her up to the fourth floor.

"What about the third floor?" Lily asks confused.

"The third floor is where you will be staying, we'll go there last." He explains a small smile on his face.

"This is where almost all of our guests stay." James says they reach the fourth floor. "On that end is the drawing room and Padfoot's room. These are all guest rooms." Lily nods as he points to the rooms and then shows her the drawing room. "Want to take a peek in Padfoot's room?" He asks and opens the door.

Sirius' room is quite large and decorated beautifully in black and gold. The arm chairs by the fireplace match the bed covers perfectly. Along the walls are posters of motor bikes, bikini clad Muggle women, bikini clad women on motor bikes, and pictures of his friends. The room oozes Sirius.

James leads her back down to the third floor and Lily wonders for a moment why James hadn't told her where he sleeps. "Where is your room?" She asks him, wondering if it would fit him just as perfectly as Sirius' had. She finds herself excited to see it.

"My room is on the third floor as well. It is right next to the room you'll be in. I think my mum didn't want to put you into a room too far away from everyone that you would be uncomfortable." He explains. Lily feels her stomach give a nervous quiver. Her bedroom will be right next to his.

Stepping off onto the third floor Lily notices that there are only three doors.

"This is what we like to call The Marauder Room." James tells her pointing to the door on the right. "It used to be my play room when I was a kid, then it sort of became our hang out. It's no girls allowed, but I'm sure we can make an exception." He gives her a wink.

"That's my room." He points to the second door on the left. "And this is your room." He adds gesturing to the door next to his.

"I don't get to see your room?" She asks nudging him playfully, trying to hide her disappointment at him not showing her. She's just so curious about it.

"Would you like to see it?" He asks hopefully.

She nods and he grabs her hand and leads her through the door.

His room is a deep mahogany mixed with a chestnut color that seems to fit James' personality more than Lily could have imagined. Warm and strong. Even his bed, which Lily finds herself continually glancing at, with the hangings and dressings of dark gold, seem to fit him perfectly. She is relieved to see that there are no posters of scantily dressed women on his walls, nor are there any motor bikes. There are only posters of the English National Quidditch Team and many pictures of friends and family.

She walks around the room slowly looking at all the pictures. One of him and his father both decked out in England's colors with a Quidditch Pitch behind them. Another of him and his mother dancing in the Potter's ballroom. One of him and Mary as children eating ice cream. A few photos of all four of The Marauders with their ages varying, and a few more of just him and Sirius. Then one of all seven of them as a group in Hogsmeade. The last photo on the wall is of just him and her, sitting together in the Hogwarts kitchens laughing with cups of cocoa in their hands.

Lily doesn't remember this photo being taken. She turns to James who is sitting in one of his comfy looking caramel colored arm chairs. "Who took this photo?" She asks taking the seat next to his by the fireplace.

"Dinky. He gave it to me during the last week of term. Said he missed my birthday and he hoped it would make up for it. I think it did." James smirks. Lily too smiles and looks around the room yet again.

The whole room seems to match his eyes. The dark brown matching the outer circles, all the way to the gold color of his pillow cases that match the inner ring of his hazel eyes. She imagines running her hand along the fabric of his bed, how soft it would feel at her touch. She stops as soon as she realizes what she is doing and turns back to James. He is watching her with a look of longing on his face.

"Want to see your room now?" He asks.

Lily nods and he again grabs her hand and leads her back into the hall. He pauses outside the door smiling at her. "I am so glad mum gave you this room." He says and then opens the door for her.

Lily steps in and is immediately taken aback by the beauty of it. The pale walls are accented with a dark green. The bed looks extremely inviting with its white linens and emerald-green hangings. The arm chairs look comfy and plush in the same green as the bed hangings. Lily loves this room and is slightly amazed at how well it seems to fit her just as Sirius' and James' fit them. She turns to look at James who is leaning on the door frame. She knows he will tell her the room matches her eyes.

"See, I am glad mum picked this room because it matches your eyes perfectly." She grins at him. "Not to mention, it is right next to mine." He adds in a much lighter tone. She laughs at this and he comes to join her in the middle of the room.

_It is strange that she let James and I stay right next to each other. Especially in such a large house like this, where there are plenty of other rooms I could have stayed in. My parents would never allow it. Though, James' parents don't know how I feel about him. Hell, James doesn't even know how I feel about him. To him and the rest of the world we are just friends._

_Still, he is seventeen. He has hormones. What if they don't think he sees me in that way? What if he doesn't see me in that way? What if I have been building up this whole thing in my mind and he is truly just being friendly._

In the end, Lily decides that James' parents, no matter what they think is going on between them, knows that they are both of age now and are adults. They must have decided to give them their freedom along with a little trust. It is something that Lily's parents wouldn't understand at all.

She smiles up at him. _Merlin, he is so tall. _Her head only reaches his shoulder. He is so close to her now and Lily can't seem to tear her eyes away from his.

Do you like your room?" He asks suddenly breaking their gaze and the building tension between them.

"Yes, I love it. It is breathtaking." She tells him.

"I will leave you to get settled in then. There are towels and other things in the bathroom. Anything you may be missing Tilly will be able to get for you." He tells her and gives her one more of his one-of-a-kind grins before closing the door behind him.

Lily begins to unpack her bags appreciating the ability to use magic again. After she makes sure she has everything she will need she flops herself down onto the comfy looking bed. It feels like lying on a cloud. _I love this room._

After a few minutes of just admiring where she is, she stands and exits the room quietly. She knocks on James' door softly and is told to enter.

"Hi." He says, sitting up on his bed and setting down a magazine. "Do you need some help?"

"No, I was just looking forward to going outside."

He gives her a wide smile. "Sure, I can give you a tour of the grounds. They are rather large though, it might take all afternoon."

"Sounds great." She says and he walks over to her and grabs her hand yet again.

He leads her down through the house and back out onto the patio. He shows her the large gardens, the greenhouse, the Quidditch Pitch and the beautiful gazebo, whose pillars were linked with strands of flowers.

_I love this house._

-J-3-L-

After dinner James and Sirius lead Lily up to 'The Marauder Room'.

"Now Lily, this is an extremely rare honor we are giving you. Not just anyone is allowed in this room." Sirius reminds her.

"I'm very flattered, Sirius." She tells him and they open the door to her.

The whole room is decked out in gold and scarlet. It looks to be a smaller version of the Gryffindor common room. Four arm chairs around the fire, a few couches and tables set up, two wizards' chess boards, a few sets of gobstones, packs and packs of exploding snap cards, and cupboards full of sweets and butterbeer. Lily can definitely envision the four boys spending their summer holidays in this room.

Sirius stretches himself out on the floor and Lily sits down on one of the couches. James brings her a butterbeer and then sits down in the arm-chair next to her sipping his own drink. They spent the rest of the evening in there, playing exploding snap or discussing their holidays.

Sirius finally stands up around midnight. "I'm knackered. I'll see you tomorrow." He says and heads up to bed.

James grins at her. "Fancy losing another game of chess?" He asks cockily.

"You are on!" She says, but loses fantastically.

James stands and gives her a bow. "This is why you should never challenge the master, Miss Evans."

Lily aims a playful kick at him, but he dodges easily. Before she can even react, he grabs her around the waist and hoists her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. Lily laughs but tries to sound stern as she commands him to, "Put me down!"

He chuckles but sets her lightly onto the soft couch. He makes to turn away, but Lily catches him off guard and pulls him down onto the couch with her. She begins to tickle him. They are both laughing quite a bit when James finally grabs hold of Lily's wrists effectively stopping her from tickling him. The laughter dies as he looks down at her, his eyes meeting hers.

Lily feels a wave of excitement rush through her body. He is so close, his hands still clasped around her wrists as they lay next to each other, legs still slightly tangled from all the squirming. His lips are mere centimeters from hers, his eyes locked on hers. She wants him to lean down and close the gap between them. Her heart pounds furiously in her chest as he leans forward ever so slightly.

But then a pained look shoots across his face. With a look of pure determination he sits up quickly releasing her from both his gaze and his grip.

"I should be heading to bed." He tells her and then exits the room hastily.

Lily sits up and looks down at her wrists frowning. _He was about to kiss me. I know it. Why hadn't he? Does he not like me like that? Does he see me as only a friend, or worse a sister?_

She walks sadly back to her room and replays the day in her head as she gets ready for bed. _I did everything right. How can he not like me? He flirted with me all day and took every opportunity he got to touch me. He definitely likes me. _She decides. _He has to._

_Maybe he just thinks I don't like him. He can' possibly think that though, he'd have to be blind not to see that I like him too._

-J-3-L-

Lily spends the entire next day with James' mother.

Lily helps her cook breakfast and they chat about how much different Hogwarts was when she attended. Then Lily helps her tend to her plants in the greenhouse. Throughout the day Mrs. Potter shows Lily quite a few very useful household spells that otherwise Lily would have never learned. Lily thinks that Mrs. Potter really seems to like her.

After dinner Mrs. Potter asks Lily to come along to her 'Which Witch's' meeting. She explains to Lily that it is basically just a group of women sitting around gossiping pretending to debate who they think should be honored with the Daily Profit's Witch of the Year Award. Lily agrees to go excitedly.

While at the meeting Lily is introduced to many of James' mother's friends. Including Batilda Bagshot, who happens to be the author of their History of Magic textbook. Lily enjoys her time with the ladies, they all seem interested in what is new at Hogwarts and they all are very polite to her.

When she heads off to find a bathroom she over hears two of the women talking in whispers. Her never failing curiosity makes her stop to listen.

"Did you hear? That beautiful young lady Martha brought along tonight is her son's _friend_ from school." She says putting a heavy infliction on 'friend'.

"Really?" The other asks shocked. "She finally brought along one of James' girlfriends then. She must be something this girl, Martha never brings anyone along."

Lily's heart swells in her chest. Mrs. Potter doesn't just bring any girl to meet her friends. Lily knows that it means something special that she brought her. She also likes the way the woman called her James' girlfriend. Even though she is not his girlfriend, she doesn't have the smallest desire to correct her.

After the meeting Lily and Mrs. Potter apparate back to the house and say good night. Lily stops in The Marauder Room quickly to say good night to James and Sirius before going to bed, completely exhausted.

* * *

James wakes Sunday morning and goes down to breakfast after pausing at Lily's door. He doesn't hear movement so he decides she must still be asleep. When he enters the kitchen he finds Lily and his mother laughing as they make breakfast. Lily is flipping pancakes and his mother is tending to the bacon and sausage.

"You ladies are awfully cheerful." He says as he sits down at the counter. They both say good morning to him and Lily gives him a warm smile.

"Your mum is teaching me loads. I never thought about cooking with magic before. It is wonderful, so much easier than the Muggle way."

He returns her smile. _She really seems to be enjoying her time here_.

"I'm glad. Are you any good?" He asks teasingly.

"You tell me." She says levitating a stack of the pancakes over to him. He picks up a fork and tests them out.

They are the best pancakes he has ever eaten. "Excellent job." He tells her and continues to eat them.

"I want pancakes!" Sirius protests as he sits down next to James at the counter. Mrs. Potter laughs and Lily gives him some as well.

After breakfast Mrs. Potter instructs them to set up for their guests. Mary, Beth, Peter and Remus would be joining them for tea. James conjures chairs for the table on the patio while Sirius stretches the table to fit nine people comfortably.

They reenter the kitchen to find Lily sitting at the counter putting together platters of tiny sandwiches. James watches her work for a moment. Her face is so delicate when she concentrates, so beautiful. With a sudden loud pop Remus appears by James side, making him jump.

"Jeez mate, warn me next time!" He says and Lily and Sirius both laugh loudly.

"You knew I was coming." Remus says innocently.

"Yeah, but not going to appear right next to me like that."

All three are laughing now and James joins in. Peter comes in the kitchen then with a little soot on his robes.

"Just came by floo but no one was in the living room. I thought that's where were supposed to arrive."

"Sorry Wormy, we were just having a laugh at how jumpy Prongs is." Remus says still guffawing.

A loud bell rings throughout the house and Lily looks around confused. "What is that?" She asks.

"It's a spell. Whenever someone enters the gate a bell chimes throughout the house. It's to let us know when we have visitors. It must be Mary and Beth." James explains as Tilly walks by the kitchen on her way to the door.

"So, it's like a door bell." Lily surmises. James looks quizzically at his friends.

"Exactly like a doorbell. Only no one has to ring it, it is automatic." Sirius tells her. James is glad that Sirius took Muggle Studies.

Tilly returns to the kitchen with a bow. "Masters James and Sirius, Tilly let the guests into the living room. Tilly will continue with the sandwiches, Miss Lily, if you please." She says standing next to Lily.

"Thanks Tilly, that is so kind of you." Lily says, standing and following the others into the grand living room where Mary and Beth sit waiting.

Mary has been to Potter Manor many times throughout the years, so she is not looking around in awe as Beth is now. They greet their friends and James offers to give Beth a tour.

"We are going to wash up real quick mate." Sirius says and he, Remus and Peter head off to their respective rooms to get ready for tea and Lily joins him on the tour.

He doesn't show the girls the inside of his and Sirius' bedrooms as he had Lily, though. When they arrive at The Marauder Room he tells them that it is no girls allowed and gives Lily a smile. She doesn't betray him, she just turns to listen to Mary tell them the story. They all laugh at the tale of how, in the summer before third year, she tried to enter The Marauder Room and Peter and Sirius barred her. Telling her she is a smelly girl and would never be allowed in.

Lily laughs at the story and gives James a warm smile, obviously pleased that she is allowed in when no other girl had been.

They head out onto the patio then where tea is being served and James holds out Lily's chair for her before taking his seat. Lily sits between James and Peter. Mary and Beth sit between Remus and Sirius on the opposite side of the table, and his parents sit at the ends.

They have a wonderful time full of laughter and around dusk Mary and Beth say they must be going. Remus and Sirius decide to walk them to the gate and Peter hovers for a second, undecided. He finally decides to follow the four back into the house.

James glances over at Lily and is about to ask her what she wants to do when she says, "Fancy a walk? I want to see the garden at night."

James nods and stands to pull out her chair. He hopes she missed the knowing look his father had just given his mother.

They disappear into the dark garden, away from prying eyes, and Lily's hand brushes his. With a stroke of courage that came from who knows where, James seizes her hand and intertwines his fingers with hers.

His heart is thumping loudly in his chest as he waits, expecting her to jerk her hand away disgustedly. Or even for her to hit him round the head and call him an arrogant toerag. What he does not expect though, is for her to give his hand a little reassuring squeeze. James feels his stomach do a back flip at this small gesture and he has to fight back the urge to do a happy dance.

_You are just holding hands._ He reminds himself. _She holds your hand all the time._

But this is isn't just one of them comforting the other and neither of them is leading the other anywhere. This, with the romantic setting of the dark gardens and their fingers laced together, is a very romantic hand hold.

"I'm really glad I came here." Lily tells him, breaking the silence.

"I am really glad you came here too." He assures her.

"This place is… there are no words. I would say magical, but that seems silly."

"It's not silly. I understand what you mean, the gardens are very enchanting."

"Not just the gardens." She tells him. "This whole place is enchanting. The house. The grounds." She pauses for a moment and looks sideways at him. "The people." She finishes and he smiles at her.

"She really likes you, you know." He tells her knowing she will understand that he means his mother.

"I really like her too. She reminds me so much of my mum and how we used to be before she found out I was a witch."

James squeezes her hand lightly. _Maybe this is just a comforting hand holding. _He thinks gloomily.

"You are like the daughter she was never blessed with. She loves spending time with you. She actually reprimanded me for taking up so much of your time on your first day here." He tells her with a chuckle.

"I am going to miss this place when I leave tomorrow." She admits.

"You can come back anytime. I'm sure my mum has already instructed Tilly to make that your permanent room." He says and she lets out a low chuckle.

When they arrive at the gazebo they walk up the stairs and sit together on one of the benches looking out over the horizon at the setting sun.

Lily rests her head of James' shoulder and leans into him. Again, with courage he either forgot or didn't know he had, he releases her hand only to wrap his arm around her and take it up again with his free hand. She doesn't make a move to stop him, instead she snuggles in closer to his chest. They sit like this until the sun fully sets.

He loves this. Sitting with his arm around her, her hand once again intertwined with his. It is such a wonderful feeling. She is so warm and soft and seemingly fits perfectly. He can smell the fruity scent from her hair and he finds his face buried in it a moment later. It is just too enticing of an aroma to resist any longer.

She lets out a laugh and turns her head to look up at him. "Did you just smell my hair?" She asks amused.

"Yes, I did." He admits sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"No apology necessary, it's sweet. I just didn't expect you to be the romantic type." She says with a smirk.

"Really? What type did you expect me to be then?" He asks slightly teasing her.

"The snog in the broom closet type. You never seemed to be too romantic with your girlfriends."

"I guess I can be both, I only show my romantic side for special girls." He says. _For you actually, as I have never show this side of myself to anyone_ before. He adds in his head.

He can see her cheeks blush in the bright light of the rising moon. _She has to like me. No way would she let me hold her like this if she didn't. She definitely wouldn't let me say things like that to her. _All this time he has been worrying himself silly that she only sees him as a friend. But here, in the growing darkness, he knows for sure that she likes him too.

Before he can talk himself out of it, he lowers his head slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away or to stop him if she wishes. She doesn't. He can feel her breath on his face now. He watches as her eyes flutter closed.

James finally presses his lips to hers.

He feels his insides doing jumping jacks and he can't even think. All he knows is that it is the most amazing feeling ever, a hundred times better than he could have ever imagined. Her lips are so soft, so sweet. He pulls away from her reluctantly, he has to see her face, gauge her reaction to this.

_Did she enjoy the kiss as much as I had? _

Her eyes are still closed and her lips are slightly parted. As he pulls back further, her eyes flutter open and meet his. He can see the affection in those sparkling green eyes and he feels his stomach do backflips again.

She slowly leans into him, her lips touching his again. This time the kiss is so tender that James can almost feel his heart melting in his chest. Her free hand finds his face and strokes his cheek gently before she pulls away, leaving her palm to rest along his chin. James feels as if his mind is in a fog, this has to be the best moment of his life.

Lily gives a little shiver in his arms which pulls James back to reality. It is now pitch black out and it had gotten chilly without the sun's presence to warm them.

_How long have we been out here? _James wonders. "We should get back, you must be freezing."

"Can we stay just a little bit longer?" She asks hopefully. "I want to look at the stars some. I can't see them from my house, too many lights."

"Sure." He says in a loving voice.

James conjures up two blankets for them and places one on the ground to lie on and one to cover up with. For how long they lay in the clearing behind the gazebo James isn't sure. He would be content to stay here for eternity, with her wrapped in his arms like this.

When she falls asleep he decides it's time to go back inside. He carries her back to the house as steadily as he can, unwilling to wake her. He lays her gently in her bed and brushes the hair back from her face. He kisses her softly on the forehead before going to his own room. He collapses on his bed, fully clothed, basking in the happiness that this night has brought him.

_I finally kissed Lily Evans._

And now James can't imagine ever kissing another girl in his life. All the other girls he's kissed, all the other snog sessions, seem to pale in comparison to the sweet tender kisses Lily had given him tonight. For Lily's kisses have something important that the others lacked; feeling. James has never felt anything close to the way he feels about Lily for anyone else on the whole planet.

He falls into unconsciousness, thoughts of Lily dancing through his head.

-L-3-J-

Sirius and Peter wake James the next morning by jumping on his bed. James is slightly disoriented as he sits up, still fully clothed. He is angry at his friends for pulling him from his very pleasant dream. He pulls his covers up quickly making both boys fall to the ground with a crash.

"Uncalled for, Prongs." Peter says standing up and rubbing his elbow. Sirius too stands and laughs.

"You two stayed then?" James asks Peter, knowing that if he stayed that means Remus had too.

"Yeah, your mum and Lily are in the kitchen cooking breakfast. It smells wonderful. She told us to come wake you or you'd miss it." Peter says excitedly.

"Why are you still in your clothes?" Sirius asks ignoring Peter. "And where were you and Lily all night? We were up in The Marauder Room until nearly one o'clock and never heard you come to bed."

James tries to hide his face as he walks to his wardrobe to get fresh clothing. He doesn't want them to see him smiling, as he is sure he's doing. Last night was something extremely special between him and Lily and he isn't prepared to share it with anyone quite yet.

"We went down to the Muggle village and she told me a little about what each of the places were and what their uses are. You three would have been bored." James lies smoothly. He rarely lies to his friends, and if he does he makes sure it's for a good reason. He feels keeping his private business between Lily and himself a perfectly good reason. Luckily, they buy this excuse without question.

James gets a quick shower and heads down to breakfast. He feels a little nervous about seeing Lily. They hadn't talked about what last night meant. _What if she wanted it to be just a one night thing? Just share a few kisses in a romantic setting, nothing more._ This self-consciousness about his and Lily's kisses is a new feeling to James. He doesn't care for it much. He is used to knowing exactly where he stands with her. This not knowing business is no fun.

He enters the kitchens where they usually eat breakfast and finds it empty. He moves on into the dining room and sees everyone seated at the table waiting for him. He hurries over to take his seat next to Lily.

"Sorry. I didn't realize you were waiting for me."

They never eat a formal breakfast like this. Usually it's whenever you get up, come get breakfast. Lily smiles at him warmly and he returns it. _That's a good sign._

"Lily made this entire breakfast all by herself." Mrs. Potter announces proudly. "I just supervised. So, I thought we should salute that with a sit down meal."

James and the others thank Lily as they pile food onto their plates.

The food is superb. When he finishes eating his third helping, James sits back in his seat happily. He notices Lily's hand resting on her lap innocently. _Now is as good of time as any to see if it was just a one night thing._

He reaches under the table to hold Lily's hand in his. She turns to look at him a smile on her face and he traces light circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. He returns the smile and compliments her cooking skills. _She didn't jerk away or make a big scene. This is definitely a good thing._

After breakfast Lily goes up to her room to pack her things and prepare for her departure and James and the others head up to The Marauder Room. James sits down in one of the arm chairs by the fire with a magazine while Sirius and Peter sit on the opposite end of the room locked in a game of chess. Remus comes over and takes the seat next to James.

"So, staying out late, holding hands at breakfast. You and Lily sure have come a long way since school ended." He says.

"Was it that obvious?" He asks concerned.

"Not to the others, but I was sitting on the other side of Lily. The gesture wasn't lost on me. What's going on?" He asks interested.

"I don't know." James says honestly. "I'm certain she likes me now, but not nearly as much as I like her. I don't want to scare her off by going too fast or saying the wrong thing." He tells his friend.

"Usually wise to take it slow. Is that as far as it's gone? Hand holding?" He asks.

James deliberates for a moment but decides to tell him. He will find out eventually anyway. "We kissed."

Remus claps him on the back excitedly. "Finally mate! I am so happy for you!" He says enthusiastically.

James finds himself smiling too. "It was amazing, Moony. I just -" He breaks off thinking for a moment. "I just wish I knew where to go from here."

"I am sure it will work itself out." He says shrugging still smiling broadly.

"Can we wait to tell the others until after she leaves? I don't want them making any crude remarks to her." James asks his friend and mercifully he says that is fine with him.

Lily comes into the room shortly after and Peter squawks in protest.

"Hey! This room is no girls allowed." He tells her indignantly.

Lily looks over at him slightly taken aback but Sirius and Remus laugh. _Of course it would be Wormtail who would think that rule still applies to Lily._

"Didn't you hear?" Lily asks somewhat regaining her composure. "I'm the exception to the rule." She tells him.

_She doesn't know how right she is_.

"Come sit down, Lily." James calls to her.

"I actually need to get going. I just came in to say goodbye." She says.

She gives Peter an awkward sort of hug and then turns to Remus hugging him a little more comfortably. She turns to Sirius next with a warm smile.

"I will see you on the train." She tells him giving him a playful punch on the shoulder before pulling him into a friendly hug. She walks to where James stands by the door and asks softly, "Walk me out?"

"I was planning on it." He tells her and follows her to the hall.

James carries her bags down to the living for her so she can say goodbye to his parents. She thanks them and gives them both hugs.

"Now, you don't be a stranger." His dad tells her.

"Yes, we better see you again soon." His mum says.

And after another hug from his mother, she banishes her bags to her bedroom at her parent's house. James walks her back out into the hall.

"Walk you to the gate?" He suggests.

There is really no need for him to walk her to the gate, she could disapparate right there from the hall. But he wants the last few moments of alone time with her.

"Sure."

As they step out of the front door and onto the walkway, he takes up her hand in his once again. They walk in comfortable silence. When they reach the gate James feels unwilling to let her go. He pulls her around to face him, wrapping his arms around her. He lifts her into a tight hug as she wraps her arms around his neck. He kisses the top of her head.

"I suppose I will see you on the train then?" He says glumly.

"I suppose." She says pulling back slightly to see his face. "But, you better not forget to write me." She says.

"I won't, don't you forget either."

"I won't." She promises.

Then she stands up on her tippy toes and kisses him soundly, before stepping back again and turning on the spot and disapparating.

James stares at the spot she had just disappeared from. _Merlin, she sure is something else. Something special._

* * *

**A/N – :) **

**I hope you love this chapter, because I certainly do.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N – Just a quick t****hank you to all the reviewers, especially those of you whom I can't PM and express my undying gratitude to. And of course, those of you who I can, and are probably sick of me. :)**

* * *

Lily sits at her desk staring down at the gleaming silver badge in her hand. She has always hoped this would happen, but now that it has she can't quite believe it. She rereads the letter for the third time, this time really drinking in Dumbledore's words. He chose her.

_I am Head Girl_.

Lily runs down to the kitchen to tell her parents. Head Girl is something they can truly understand. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to take into account that Vernon and Petunia are also in the kitchen. Lily shows her parents and they hug her and congratulate her telling her how proud they are of her.

Petunia's makes her cutting voice be heard over the celebration. "What, does this make you like the Head Freak now?"

Lily turns slowly to her sister. _How dare she ruin such a wonderful moment for me._ But before Lily can respond her parents are already lecturing Petunia. Lily watches as her sister stomps out of the room, Vernon following closely behind.

Lily decides to not let it put a damper on her happiness. Her parents tell her that they will take her out to a very special dinner tonight, wherever she wants to go as a celebration.

Lily returns to her room and immediately sits at her desk pulling out a fresh sheet of parchment. She wants to send James a letter right away telling him her good news. She knows he will be excited for her and she wants him to share in her happiness.

_I wonder if my parents will let me bring someone along to dinner. _She wonders, thinking of asking James to come. _Would he even want to come? Surely he will want to celebrate with me, but will he want to do it in the Muggle world? _ Lily decides that she will ask him. If he doesn't want to come, then she can still have fun with her parents.

As she is writing the letter, Hamlet, the Potter's family owl, flies through her open window and lands on the corner of her desk. "Perfect timing, Hamlet." Lily says smiling at the owl as she removes her letter.

Hamlet goes to join Oscar on his perch making himself at home. James and Lily have written back and forth so many times since her stay at Potter Manor that Hamlet and Oscar seem to have grown to be friends as well.

Lily reads James' untidy scrawl and smiles. There is something so uniquely James about his handwriting.

**Lily,**

**How are you this fine day? I got some pretty exciting news this morning. I imagine you did as well.**

**In my letter from Hogwarts was, as expected, a letter from McGonagall saying I am yet again Quidditch Captain, but what was unexpected was the letter from Dumbledore.**

**I know what you are thinking, 'what has he done now that Dumbledore would track him down during the Holidays, but I'm not in trouble. Or maybe I am, depending on what you mean by trouble.**

**I hope you are sitting down while reading this, because it may make you faint.**

**I, James Charles Potter, have been made Head Boy. I know you just reread that sentence five or six times to make sure you got it right, but it is true, Head Boy. Me. Who would have ever thought? I'm still a bit amazed myself. But Dumbledore's letter was so sincere, I have to believe it. Moony said he's glad I got it. I feel bad. I think we all thought he would get it.**

**I know you have been made Head Girl of course. You're the only choice that makes sense. But then again, he did choose me, so maybe the old man is off his rocker. I don't think anyone could be that mad though, to not see that you are the only candidate worth anything.**

**My mum and dad thought I forged the letter. It took them all morning to convince. But she is so excited and is holding a little bit of party tonight to celebrate. It is nothing fancy, but Moony and Wormtail will be here and Tilly is making a special cake. It should be fun. I would love it if you could join us. I know it is short notice, so if you can't make it I completely understand.**

**Well, congratulations to you on being Head Girl. And try to pick your jaw up off the ground, you look silly.**

**XO  
****James**

Lily laughs a little at the end of the letter and then rereads it quickly looking for any hint that this is a prank.

_James Potter is Head Boy._

_Those words don't even seem to fit together. _ Lily reprimands herself for thinking like this. _James is a completely different person now. He got me to fall for him didn't he? _She reminds herself. If Dumbledore thinks that James deserves this honor, and that he is good for the job, then it must be true. Dumbledore is never wrong about these things. Lily is quite proud of James.

She scraps the letter she had been writing him before Hamlet turned up and starts again fresh.

**James,**

**I am so excited to hear that you are Head Boy.**

**I won't deny that I was a little shocked at the news, but it makes sense. Dumbledore must see the same changes in you as I have. I have indeed been made Head Girl, thank you for being so confident that I would get it. I certainly wasn't.**

**I am so sorry, but I will not be able to make it tonight. My parents are taking me out to fancy dinner in a Muggle restaurant to celebrate. I wish I could be there. Give your parents my love. Have fun with The Marauders, but not too much, you do have to set an example now.**

**I will see you in the Heads Compartment.**

**XOXO  
****Lily**

Lily calls Hamlet over to her and attaches her letter. He gives her a very affectionate nip before flying back out the window he'd come in.

_James is Head Boy to my Head Girl, _she thinks wonderingly._ This will be a very exciting year._

-J-3-L-

September first seemed to take forever to come, the last few days of the holiday seemly dragging on.

Lily stands just outside Kings Cross station with her parents saying goodbye, Petunia waiting in the car. A few feet away from them Lily sees James, Sirius and James' mother appear from around the corner and she turns back to her parents.

"Wait just one moment. There is someone I would like you to meet." She tells them and then hurries over to catch up with the family.

Mrs. Potter greets her with a tight hug and congratulates her on becoming Head Girl. Lily thanks her and turns to James.

"Would you like to meet my family?" She asks him, excitement in her voice.

He instantly tenses and she sees him swallow hard before he responds nervously. "I would love to."

"Great!" She says, grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers with his as she leads him over to where her parents stand by their car.

"Mum, Dad, this is James Potter. He is Head Boy." Lily says proudly presenting him to them.

James holds out his hand to shake her father's. Then he turns to her mother and takes up her outstretched hand in his, with a bow he kisses it lightly. Lily has to repress a laugh as he says, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It is lovely to me you as well, dear." Her mum says.

Sirius and Mrs. Potter join them and Lily makes the introductions. "This is James' mother, Martha Potter and this is Sirius Black. He is James' best friend, but he lives with the Potter's." Lily explains as they exchange pleasantries.

Mrs. Potter turns to Lily's parents to congratulate them on having such a wonderful daughter.

Lily catches James' eye and nods to the car where Petunia still sits, determinedly looking away from the group surrounding the car. James' eyes widen and he mouths, 'Is that Petunia?' Lily nods and wonders why he looks so shocked.

"Well, I really must be going. Have a wonderful term, dears." Mrs. Potter says hugging Sirius then James and then Lily. "I'm so glad you've had such a positive effect on my Jamie." She whispers in her ear before pulling away.

"It was absolutely splendid to meet you." Mrs. Potter says shaking hands yet again with Lily's parents.

"Yes, we really must get together sometime." Lily's mother says waving goodbye as Mrs. Potter heads back around the corner where Lily knows she can Apparate away safely.

James shakes hands again with Lily's father before going to get Lily a trolley. He loads her things onto it as Lily said goodbye to her parents. Then she and the two best friends made their way through the crowd and onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

"So, that is Petunia." James says once they are safely through the barrier.

"Yep." James shakes his head. "What?" Lily asks.

"She just isn't anything like I expected. I mean, attitude wise, yes, you painted that picture vividly, but… oh well never mind."

Lily was about to ask what he is on about, but instead is hailed by Mary. James and Sirius greet Mary and then say that they'll put her trunk on the train for her before heading off to find the other Marauders. Once they are out of ear shot, Mary turns on her.

"You arrived with them? Were you at their house again?" She asks excitedly.

"No, it was just good timing. Oh hey – there's Beth!" Lily says distracting her friend entirely.

"How was it with Barry?" Lily asks.

"Smashing. I can't even describe it. I will tell you all about it on the train." She says.

At five 'til eleven Lily and Beth say goodbye to Mary and tell her they will meet up with her in The Marauder Compartment. Beth, having replaced Lily as the seventh year Gryffindor prefect, follows Lily up the train.

The Prefects carriage is the first carriage on the train. It consists of four compartments, one for the Head Girl and Boy and one each for the fifth, six and seventh year prefects. Lily spots James as they are about to enter the carriage and he joins them.

"Are you ready for this?" He asks her hand perched on the latch to open the Head's Compartment.

Lily has never been in the Head's Compartment. She is longing to see it, but she is also quite nervous. Being able to sit in this room truly means that she is indeed Head Girl.

She gives James a small smile and says, "Open it."

He slides open the door for her and Lily looks around excitedly. There are two large comfy looking chairs and a long plush bench along the opposite wall. The whole room is Hogwarts purple. She smiles as she reads the signs above the seats.

**Lily Evans  
****Head Girl**

**James Potter  
****Head Boy**

Lily looks up at James as she takes her seat grinning. James grins back. "You look good in that seat." He tells her.

"Try yours out." She instructs him.

He sits down and looks over at her. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I know it's so wonderful."

James just nods and stands to examine the map of the train above the bench.

"Are you ready to address the prefects?" She asks him. He turns back to her looking a little pale. "Nervous?" She asks.

"A little. They'll all think I'm a joke." He says looking down at his shoes.

"No they won't." She begins and at his look of exasperation she changes tact. "Even if they do, you will prove them wrong. You are a great leader. They will see that. I am sure most of them already know that." She tells him and he smiles.

"That's what Dumbledore said in his letter. He said that I'm loyal, trustworthy, intelligent, brave and a good leader. And, because of all that, people will respect me. He said responsibility is something that I will learn with time. Or so he hopes." James says with a chuckle sitting back down in his chair.

In Lily's opinion, Dumbledore had done a pretty good job of surmising James. He left out a few key things, though. Such as, caring, funny, romantic, handsome, good kisser… but these aren't things that Dumbledore would take into account when selecting a Head. At least, she hopes he wouldn't.

She places her hand over his and he looks over at her. "Dumbledore knows you well. And I agree with him whole heartedly."

He gives her hand a little squeeze. "Thanks Lily."

Just then the whistle blows and the train starts to move. "We just have to talk to the prefects and give them their passwords, right?" He asks her.

"Right. We will meet Dumbledore tomorrow after dinner to receive our full instructions." She tells him.

"Sounds good. Might as well get it over with." He says standing and opening the door for her again.

They head out into the hall and gather the prefects to greet them.

"Hello everyone, I am Lily Evans. Most of you know me already, but I'm your new Head Girl. This is James Potter, the new Head Boy. Most of you probably know him as well." She says and then looks to him.

"We will get to know you all formally at the first prefect's meeting. There we will give out the full patrol schedules and instructions, but for now we are asking that you patrol the corridors today in shifts. Hufflepuffs take the first hour, Ravenclaws the second, Gryffindors the third and Slytherins the fourth. Then back to Hufflepuff again." James tells them.

"If you have any questions or concerns or if there is any trouble, James and I can be found in either the Head's Compartment or in the last compartment on the train." Lily tells them.

"You mean The Marauders Compartment?" A fifth year Ravenclaw Lily doesn't know by name asks.

"Correct." James says smirking at Remus. The girl turns to her friend and they both begin giggling. Lily rolls her eyes at them.

"Here are your passwords." He says handing envelopes to each of the Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor prefects.

"The password to the Prefect's Bathroom is 'Salt Water'." Lily informs them and then looks back at James.

"Uh, I think that is all we have for you. So, get patrolling." James says with a small laugh.

Lily tries her hardest not to look in Todd's direction as he walks past her.

"Good job, guys." Remus tells them.

"We will see you in the compartment." Beth says waving as they too leave.

"Let's go into the Head's Compartment first." James suggests.

Lily enters the compartment and James follows her in, closing the door behind him. "You know." He begins as he walks towards the window. "This is the first train ride that I have started without Padfoot."

She laughs at him. "You two always seem to get separation anxiety if you are apart for too long."

He turns to face her. "Hey, I can be separate from him. It is just a little strange is all." He tells her.

She laughs again. _He is so cute when he gets defensive._

Lily turns back to the compartment door to look out into the deserted corridor. "I don't think anyone is coming to report any wrong doing to us."

James walks up behind her and looks out as well. "Shame, I really wanted to spend my first day of being in power actually yelling at kids." He says sarcastically.

Lily laughs and slides the door closed again and turns to find James extremely close to her. She feels her breath catch in her throat. His hands move up to wrap around her waist as he pulls her closer still. She can feel her heart pounding delightedly in her chest.

_This having a private compartment thing has its advantages._ She thinks and tilts her head up to look him.

He leans down. As his lips touch hers, she closes her eyes, giving herself completely over to the kiss. Her lips move with his in perfect harmony. She feels his tongue trace her bottom lip teasingly and she opens her mouth slowly, inviting him in. Her hands move up to knit into his messy hair and she pulls him even closer to her, if at all possible.

Lily has never been kissed like this before. The way his lips touch hers, it's as if they were made for each other. The kiss is so soft and tender, yet holds so much passion. She didn't know that you could feel this way over kissing someone.

He breaks away from the kiss and rests his cheek on the top of her head. Lily can hear his ragged breaths and know she must also be breathing heavy. She didn't want the kiss to end.

"We should probably do a quick patrol before joining the others. They will be wondering where we are." He tells her sounding reluctant, as if he too would be perfectly content on staying here with her, closeted in their private compartment for the rest of the journey, forgetting their duties, forgetting their friends. She knows they can't though.

"Can we stay just one more minute?" She asks giving him a mischievous grin.

His eyes seem to darken as he grins back at her. "I suppose." He says and pulls her back to him leaning down for another kiss.

Eventually they find their way to their friends. James makes Peter move when they reach the compartment to make sure that he and Lily can sit next to each other.

When the lunch trolley comes around both he and Sirius jump up and are the first ones into the corridor. Lily and Mary laugh as they too stand to get their money bags from their trunks. James reenters the compartment as Mary exits.

He looks at her strangely. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting something to eat, I'm starved." She tells him.

"I got all your favorites." He tells her showing her the large spread of foods he had gotten off the trolley.

She smiles at him as they regain their seats. "What service." She teases as he hands her an unwrapped Pumpkin Pastie.

She glances around to make sure that no one else is in the compartment before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." She says then tucks into the pile of treats he bought for her.

-J-3-L-

After the welcome back feast Lily and James stand up to help instruct all the new students where to go. Following the group of Gryffindor first years being led by Remus and Beth, Lily sees James kneeling down next to one of the first year Hufflepuffs.

"There is no need to be scared. You will learn quick enough." He says. "See her right over there, with the gorgeous red hair and the stunning green eyes? That is Lily Evans. She is Muggle-born just like you and now she is Head Girl. As long as you don't let the negative people bring you down, you will be able to do great things, just like her."

Lily beams at James as the little boy mumbles something Lily can't hear. "I came from a wizarding family and Lily is still teaching me things daily." James says patting the boy on the back. Lily is pleased to see that he looks a lot less frightened as he follows his fellow first years down to his common room.

James stands up and Lily falls into step with him. She squeezes his arm gently and whispers in his ear. "That is why Dumbledore chose you." She quickly walks ahead before James can reply and begins explaining about the trick stairs.

Mary, Beth and Lily head up to their dormitory and the start to unpack their things as they chat about their summers.

"So, tell us about Barry." Lily prompts Beth.

Smiling broadly, she tells them how she spent the last week of term with him at his flat in London and how he asked her to spend Christmas with him.

"He told me he loves me and that he has never felt this way about anyone before." She says and receives a chorus of "Awe" from Lily and Mary.

"What about you, Mary? Anyone strike your fancy over the summer?"

"Eh, nothing special. I met a bloke while on holiday in Spain. He told me he wants to come visit… we'll see." She says dismissively.

Lily has always admired Mary's ability to be so blasé about the men in her life. She wishes she could have that sort of attitude. Mary turns on Lily then.

"So what is going on with you and James?" She asks.

"What do you mean?" Lily responds innocently, uncomfortably aware that Cait is listening in to their every word.

"Well we all saw you two at my house over the summer. You couldn't keep your hands off one another." Mary points out and Lily blushes crimson.

"And at James' house you two seemed glued at the hip. Everyone saw how you were looking at him." Beth adds.

"Then on the train…" Mary begins.

Lily cuts her off by waving them over to her, smiling widely. She feels slightly guilty for leaving Cait out but they never got on too well. Besides that, she is a notorious gossip. If Lily gave her any information it would be spread around the school by breakfast tomorrow morning. Beth and Mary run over and join her on her bed.

"Well, after you guys left that day at James' he took me on walk through the gardens. We held hands the whole time and we ended up at this beautiful gazebo. I just sat in his arms as we watched the sun set. It was so romantic." She gushes.

"Did he kiss you?" Beth asks excitedly.

And then Lily is telling them everything. How good of a kisser he is, how he makes her heart pound in her chest whenever he touches her, how she can't stop thinking about him.

"Well finally!" Mary exclaims.

"We have been waiting for ages for you to come round and see what a good guy he is." Beth says.

"Are you a couple now?" Mary asks interestedly.

"I don't know." Lily admits with a frown.

It seems silly that such a mundane, yet extremely important, question can stump her. James had never asked her to be his girlfriend, and she had never asked if she was. _Is he uncertain if he wants to be with me or not? _She knows his last relationship ended terrible, as did hers.

_Why did this never seem important until now? _She wonders. _Is he afraid I'll turn him down like I used to? He can't think that. How could he after all the time we've spent together. Especially after the kisses we shared this morning._

"You certainly seemed like a couple on the train." Mary prods.

"I don't know." Lily repeats panicking now. "What if he thinks it will be too complicated now that he is Head Boy and I am Head Girl." _No he can't think that, we were Head Boy and Girl on the train. _She reminds herself.

"Or what if he doesn't want me to be his girlfriend and I was just a random snog?" Lily suggests again, her panic threatening to overtake her.

Mary snorts at this. "You honestly think that you are just some random snog to James? It's obvious that he fancies you, he practically worships the ground you walk on." Mary says consolingly.

Lily feels slightly cheered by this. _Yes, James does like me. I know he does._ She can hear it in his voice when he talks to or about her. She can feel it in his tender yet passionate kisses. _He definitely likes me. Now, how do I ask him what our relationship is?_

_Ugh, why does this have to be so complicated? _She thinks lying back on her bed.

* * *

The first day back passes fairly quickly for James. Each of his teachers spent their first lessons lecturing them on the importance of their NEWTS. He can tell that they will be working hard all year. On the bright side though, he and Lily have every lesson together again, so he knows that he will get at least a little satisfaction out of them.

After dinner he and Lily drop their bags off in Gryffindor Tower and make their way to Professor Dumbledore's office. When they reach the gargoyles James says, "Ice Mice".

The spiraling staircase begins to move. When they reach the top, James steps off onto the landing and knocks on the door. They are told to enter and he holds open the door for Lily. Dumbledore is sitting in his high-backed chair behind his desk smiling at them.

"Good evening Miss Evans, Mr. Potter. Please sit down." He says gesturing to the two chairs in front of his desk.

"Let me start by first congratulating you two on this wonderful and most prestigious honor. I am sure that I picked the right people for the job." He assures them. "I explained in my letters to you both over the summer my reasons for selecting you as individuals. I now wish to share with you my reasoning on selecting you as a pair." He says smiling at them over his half-moon spectacles.

"You are both extremely kind and compassionate people. You both also exemplify all the qualities that make Gryffindor House so great. I chose you as a pair because I know that you will lead as a pair. You will consider each other opinions, trust in each other's decisions and above all else, help one another. I cannot tell you how many times I have had my Head's fight over who has more power. I know with the two of you, I will not have that fight again. You will not lead as two individuals, but as one single entity. I must admit I have been watching you two grow close over the last year. Towards the end of the year, after the debacle in the kitchens, I was informed by Mr. Lupin of how you came to each other's defense. I knew then that I had my new Head Boy and Girl in the two of you." Dumbledore tells them with a twinkle in his eye.

"I believe that you two will be able to lead by example. Show your peers how to listen and understand one another. For surely they will remember, as I do, the little tiff's the two of you used to get into. And if two people who argued so much can come together and complement each other so nicely, then they will see that they can do the same. We all can use a little more caring and understanding in these dark times." Dumbledore finishes giving them an extremely hopeful look.

James is amazed at his Headmaster's reasoning. He chose Lily and James, not necessarily for who they are as individuals but, for who they are together. The sly smile on Dumbledore's lips makes James wonder if the old man knows exactly how he feels about Lily and that is why he is giving him such great opportunities.

"Thank you, Sir. I don't mean to speak for Lily, but I believe we can lead our peers and set an example for them the way you imagine us to be able to." James says and Lily nods in agreement next to him.

"Well, I am glad to hear it. We shall move on to the boring stuff then shall we?" He says and James and Lily both laugh lightly.

"I request that you patrol the corridors on the last shift every night Monday through Friday. This will be the eleven to midnight shift. On the weekends the teachers and support staff will be doing the patrols. This is different from previous years, but you can never be too cautious. You will be accompanied by professors instead of prefects during the last shift and on Fridays, as none of them should take any later shifts than the ten to eleven. I will leave you to make the schedules. I ask that there is a weekly prefects meeting, and that if there is anything you feel I should know you report it to me immediately." He says.

"Of course, Sir." Lily says and Dumbledore continues.

"I know you both have extremely full plates this year with NEWT's and with Quidditch for you James, but I ask that you do not take your responsibilities lightly."

"We won't, Sir." She confirms.

"Good. Then I must tell you that along with your responsibilities comes a bit of power. You will be allowed to give out detentions and dock points if you see fit. I urge that you do not abuse these powers." Dumbledore says looking directly at James as he says this.

James smiles. "I won't, Sir."

"Excellent. Well then all I have left to say is this: It is your last year. I would like you to enjoy it and have fun. Good Luck to you both." He says smiling widely. "You may go now, unless you have any questions for me."

James shakes his head and looks to Lily. She looks as if she's stealing herself to say something. "I actually have a favor to ask of you, Professor." She says in a small voice.

"Yes, Lily?"

"Well, you see, my sister is getting married on the twenty-fourth and I would really like to be there. I was wondering if I could get your permission to leave school so that I can attend." Lily asks, twisting her hands nervously in her lap.

Dumbledore smiles broadly at her. "Why of course you can attend your sister's wedding, Lily. I assume you will need to be there for the rehearsal as well?"

"That would be good, Sir. I'm not in the wedding or anything. I just think I should be there." She tells him.

James looks back and forth between the two of them. Lily hadn't told him that Petunia's wedding is so soon. _Rehearsal for what?_ He wonders.

"That will be fine, Lily. I do have some rules of course."

Lily nods. "Of course, Sir."

"I ask that you return to Hogwarts on Sunday the twenty-fifth by dinnertime. You will also need to get permission from your professor to be excused from your last lesson on Friday. And I would like it if you would please take someone with you. It is never wise to travel alone in these troubled times." He tells her.

James swears that his Headmaster has just winked at him. It will never cease to amaze him how Dumbledore can turn any situation to his advantage.

"I will, Sir. Thank you again."

James and Lily leave the Headmasters Office together. They walk, hand in hand, back to their common room. When they reach the portrait of the Fat Lady instead of giving the password Lily turns to him.

"James, I was wondering, and you can totally say no if you want, I will completely understand. You don't even have to –"

_She is so cute when she babbles. _He thinks and then places his hand over her mouth, as she has done to him so many times before.

"Lily, I would love to go to Petunia's wedding with you." He tells her.

The relief is evident on her face before it is replaced with a playful grin. "Well, Mr. Arrogant, I was going to ask you if you would ask Sirius to go with me." She says.

James feels a twinge of jealousy rise in him before he catches onto her joke. "Right, well, I will be sure to ask him then." He says.

She smiles. "Thank you for agreeing to come with me."

He smiles down at her looking into those bright green eyes. He feels as if he would do anything for her.

He knows he has to talk to his friends. He wants to be with Lily, really be with her, more than anything in the world. And to be able to do that and he has to tell her about his being an Animargus. To start a relationship with her without her knowing would be starting off on the wrong foot. He wants everything having to do with Lily to be perfect.

James leans forward and gives her a kiss on the forehead and then gives the Fat Lady the password. He has to figure out the best way to bring this up to his mates. That night, as the four friends get ready for bed, James breaches the subject.

"So, I know you are all wondering what is going on with Lily and me and I am grateful you didn't pester me too much about." He tells them.

"Moony told us to let you be and you would tell us when you were ready." Peter says.

James throws a grateful look at Remus. "As you guys already know I have fancied Lily for ages. And we have been spending quite a bit of time together recently." He says, unsure why he is so nervous. "Tonight she even asked me to go to her sister's wedding with her."

"That's cool mate. It's a Muggle wedding then?" Sirius asks interestedly.

"Yeah, should be fun. But what I really want to talk about, well what I need your permission on I guess, is something much more important."

Remus and Sirius begin to laugh and James looks back and forth between them confused. "What?"

"We knew this was coming. Ever since she stayed at the house over the summer we knew." Sirius tells him.

"Oh, so, you already know what I want to do?"

"Well, we assume we know." Remus says. "You know we all like her Prongs, she's a great girl."

"Yeah, she really is. She's perfect for me."

Peter snorts at this and James turns on him. "What?" He snaps, a little too viciously.

_But how can he snort at that? _Peter never seemed to get on well with Lily, or any of the girls in their little group for that matter. He seems to resent them in some crazy way.

"Nothing. Just, I was hoping you'd get over her is all. She doesn't really seem to be worth all this trouble you've gone through." Peter says with a shrug.

Remus and Sirius freeze, looking back and forth between Peter and James apprehensively. James cannot believe Peter said this. _Where did this come from? How can he possibly think Lily isn't worth it?_

"You don't know her! You've never given her a chance. She is more than worth it. She is amazing. She is… well, perfect. I love her and if you don't like it then you can shove off!" He nearly shouts.

James knows he is being too harsh. Peter has never been able to handle himself in a fight the way James or the others can. He is yelling at Peter the way he would Sirius or Remus. They both can take it and fight back, but Peter? Peter always rolls over and never fights back. _I shouldn't have blown up like that. But how can he think those things about Lily?_

"Sorry, Wormy." James says. "I know you're just looking out for me. But you have to know that I am one-hundred percent certain about this, about Lily. I know we can trust her. Moony, you know that too right?" James asks him.

"Yeah Prongs, I know. She has proven herself loyal to us again and again. I feel like telling her about you three being Animagi is in your best interest, as she will probably find out eventually anyway."

James smiles at him. He knew he could count on Remus to have his back on this. He turns his attention to Sirius. Before Peter's comments he would have thought Sirius would be the hardest to convince, but now…

"What do you think?" James asks his best friend, his brother.

Sirius looks him dead in the eye as he says, "I think Moony is right, Lily will probably find out about it anyway. And she will be livid when she does."

James feels the hopeful bubble in his chest start to deflate. If Sirius tells him no, then James will not be allowed to tell Lily. He can't go against his best friend's wishes. But he knows he can't start a relationship with Lily if he has lie to her. She isn't like the other girls, lying to her is near impossible.

"That is why," Sirius continues, "I think you must tell her. She will be less disposed to turn us over to the dementors if she hears it from you instead of just finding out randomly. Besides, I know we can trust her with it. She keeps all our other secrets. She deserves to know this one too." Sirius says.

James pulls him into a bear hug. _I never should have doubted for a second that Padfoot would be on my side._ He pulls Remus into the hug as well and all three of them turn to Peter looking at him expectantly.

"Alright, you can tell her." Peter says, looking defeated. They pounce on him.

_I have the best friends a bloke could ever ask for._

-L-3-J-

James paces back and forth in the Prefect's Study while Lily sits calmly in her chair.

"Will you please sit down James, it won't be that bad." She says soothingly.

He stops his pacing and turns to look at her. "I'm just nervous is all, you have been to these things before and I haven't. I don't know how they go."

"I already explained it to you." She reminds him as he sits down. "Don't worry. I'm sure everyone will be fine with what we are doing. It is pretty standard stuff."

When the prefects begin filing in and taking their seats Lily grabs James' hand under the table and squeezes it tightly. This calms him slightly, but not completely. Remus takes the seat to his left and Beth sits next to him. They both give him encouraging smiles. Once everyone has settled into their seats he and Lily stand to greet them.

"Welcome everyone to the first prefect's meeting of the year." Lily says. "As we mentioned on the train, what we want to do first off is make sure that everyone here knows one another. We feel that you can't help each other if you don't even know one another's names." Lily says with a warms smile.

"So, I shall start it off, shall I?" James says and Lily gives him a reassuring nod.

"I am James Potter. I am, obviously, Head Boy and a seventh year in Gryffindor. I'm also a Chaser and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a member of the Slug Club." He says and the resumes his seat.

"You forgot Marauder!" A fifth year girl shouts, much to the giggles of the girls surrounding her. Lily looks annoyed as she stands.

"I am Lily Evans, I'm Head Girl and a seventh year in Gryffindor. I'm a member of the Charms Club, and also a member of the Slug Club." She says with a smile and sits back down. James gives her hand a squeeze under the table as Remus stands.

"I'm Remus Lupin. I'm a seventh year Gryffindor and I am a member of the Charms Club."

"Also a Marauder!" The same girl says with a giggle. Lily shakes her head as Beth stands up.

"I am Elizabeth Robins most people call me Beth, though. I'm a seventh year Gryffindor and a member of the Slug Club and also the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. That is, if my captain lets me back on the team this year." She says with a smile at James.

"I would never give your spot away, Beth." James laughs.

"I'm Primrose Flume. I'm a seventh year Ravenclaw. I am a member of the Astronomy Club, Charms Club, Chess Club, Gobstones Club, Herbology Club, Slug Club and Transfiguration Club." She says with a satisfied smile.

James looks perplexedly over at Remus and mouths, 'Transfiguration Club?' Remus just shrugs with the same look of confusion.

James had almost forgotten who Prim's seventh year counterpart is until he stands. "I am Todd Selwyn. I'm a seventh year Ravenclaw. I am, or was, I guess, Captain and Keeper for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and am a member of the Herbology Club and Slug Club."

James feels a little twinge of pity for him. After Selwyn's dreadful performance in the Quidditch final last year James doesn't blame Flitwick for replacing him as captain. He can't help feeling bad that he was the one that scored more than half of the goals that day.

Around the room they went, each prefect standing up and telling the room their name, house and year along with any team or club they belonged to or what hobbies they took part in. James pays attention as they speak, but is beginning to forget what most of the said by the time their neighbor begins speaking. He glances over at Lily and sees her taking notes.

_Should I be taking notes?_ He wonders. _Nah, she will let me borrow hers if need be._ As Dirk Cresswell, a Ravenclaw sixth year, finishes his introduction and takes his seat again Lily stands and smiles at them.

"Thank you very much everyone. Now we all know a little more about one another and can hopefully use our commonalities to bridge the gaps that different houses or years leave, and build some very strong working relationships and even friendships."

James decides to speak up then, recognizing that most people were beginning to laugh at Lily. She had practiced her speech on him before the others had arrived and told him that she had been tweaking it since she was a first year. She has always wished she would one day be Head Girl. He couldn't tell her that it sounded too mushy and that most people would find it comical. He didn't want to put a damper on her day, so he decides to try just and step in instead.

"Exactly and in doing so we hope that everyone will be willing to help out their fellow prefects. Since we're doing the patrols a little differently this year, it makes it necessary that if someone is unable to do their patrol that a prefect from a different house will need to step in and help out." James says.

"Right." Lily says catching his drift. "James and I have decided that instead of drawing up confusing time tables, we would make it simple on everyone. Monday is Gryffindor's day, Tuesday is Ravenclaw, Wednesday is Hufflepuff and Thursday is Slytherin." She explains.

"Fifth years you will take the eight to nine patrol, sixth years the nine to ten and seventh years will be on the ten to eleven patrol. Lily and I will be patrolling each night from eleven to midnight." James says picking up a stack of papers and enchanting it so that one sheet went to each person seated around the large table.

"This should make it very easy for everyone to know when they have to patrol. Take Beth, here. She knows that because she is a Gryffindor seventh year, she is supposed to patrol the halls every Monday from ten to eleven. Or Dirk, I doubt you will forget that you are to be out in the corridors patrolling every Tuesday from nine to ten." Lily smiles.

"Wow this is a lot easier, Lily." Prim says looking over the schedule that James had just passed around.

"That is all very well, but what about Friday, who patrols then? I see they aren't on your perfect little schedule." Jennifer Burke, the Slytherin seventh year prefect, points out.

James looks to Lily for this one. He didn't realize that prefects were supposed to patrol on Fridays. Dumbledore had just said Monday through Thursday.

"Dumbledore said that the teachers will be taking over the weekend patrols this year. Just the Head Boy and Girl will be on duty on Fridays." Lily explains and a few people exclaim in delight at the prospect of have every Friday night off.

"Right." Burke sneers and turns to whisper something in Rosier's ear.

"Right, so now you see why we would like it if you could help each other out." James says. "Because if someone is ill, we can't very well make anyone do a double, so would need someone from another house to take up the slack."

"If you do, it will be noticed and appreciated." Lily says.

"And possibly even rewarded, depending on how much participation we receive." James smiles.

"Now then, are there any questions?" He asks the room at large. To his dismay, Selwyn raises his hand.

"Yes, Todd?" Lily asks hesitantly.

"Yeah, how the bloody hell did Potter get Head Boy?" He says angrily. "He wasn't even a Prefect."

James looks round at everyone. Most people look curious as to the answer, but a few looked scandalized that he dare challenge his superior. Lily looks at him and he smiles back at her.

"Dumbledore picked me." James says simply. "You see Selwyn, as Headmaster, he chooses Head Boy. If you feel like he owes you an explanation, feel free to march over to his office right now and ask him."

Quite a few people laugh at this and even Lily gives him a smirk. James had known the question would come up, but he would have rather anyone else in the room ask him other than Selwyn. He can't help losing his temper around the bloke, even if he knows Selwyn is just trying to push his buttons.

"Well, I think that is all we have for you. If you have any other questions just find James or me and we will be able to help you." Lily says smiling around at them. "You are dismissed."

Everyone begins filing out of the room and James slumps back into his chair. Once the room is completely devoid of anyone but them Lily sits back down next to him.

"You did great James. They all respected you and no one thought you were a joke. Besides maybe Todd. But he is an arse, so no one cares what he thinks. You surprised them by being so authoritative. You surprised me a little, too." She says with a smile that make her eyes sparkle.

_Merlin, I love this woman._ He thinks and stands, grasping her hand in his, leading her from the room.

* * *

**A/N – Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N – Chapter 20 already! I can't believe it. :)**

* * *

The next few weeks pass in a blur for Lily. She sees very little of James besides in lessons. The only real time they have together is during their hour-long patrols each night. They both are busy with all their homework and James has the added responsibility of organizing the Quidditch tryouts.

It is now the week leading up to the wedding and Lily is starting to get nervous. She is sure that Petunia had only invited her because their mother made her, but she is still excited to go. It isn't every day your only sister gets married.

Lily knows that Petunia will be unhappy that she is bringing a wizard as her guest. But, she figures that she will be too distracted with everything else to notice much. It's going to be difficult weekend and Lily wants someone by her side that will help her through it and make her happy. James will make her happy. He will know exactly the right things to do and say, he always does.

All that is left to do is get Slughorn's permission for her and James to miss his Friday afternoon lesson. She knows it will be easy to persuade him. Lily approaches his desk at the beginning of their Monday lesson.

"Sir, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor." She says.

"Ask away my dear, ask away." Slughorn says cheerfully.

"Would it be ok if James and I miss Friday's lesson?" She asks. She see Snape freeze behind Slughorn's desk where he is writing the days ingredients on the black board.

"Do the Heads have an important matter to attend to?" The Potions Master asks.

"No Sir, it's nothing to do with Head duties. My sister is getting married, you see. Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to go home for the weekend so I can attend, and he is letting James accompany me." Lily tells him and notices the piece of chalk in Snape's hand snap in half.

"Ah, very well my dear. You have my permission. Just be sure that you both hand in your essays next Monday."

"Of course, Sir, thank you." Lily says and returns to her table taking her seat next to James. She tells him that Slughorn gave them the go ahead and returns the smile he gives her.

She chances a glance in Snape's direction and sees him glaring menacingly at James. Lily has an uneasy feeling about that look but puts it out of her mind as the lesson starts.

-J-3-L-

Lily walks back to the common room alone that night after dinner. James and Beth having gone off to Quidditch practice. Mary, Remus and Peter heading to the library to get some homework done.

"Lily, wait up I want to talk to you."

Lily pauses to let Sirius catch up. "What's up?"

"Uh, in here." He says pointing to an empty classroom and pulling her in. She looks over at him confused. She and Sirius had become rather close friends over the last year, but he has never actively sought her out before.

"Sirius, if this is some prank I swear –"

"It's not, I just fancied a chat."

"A chat about what?"

"James." He says and Lily is shocked by his use of James' real name.

"What about James? Is he hurt?" She asks the idea suddenly popping into her head along with several other depressing ones.

"No, it's nothing like that. Actually, I would prefer that James never find out that we had this conversation."

Lily is completely confused now. "Alright…"

"Lily, I want to know what this is to you. With you and James." He clarifies seeing her confused expression.

Lily almost bursts out laughing. _Sirius is actually asking me what my intentions are!_

"All I'm saying is that James really cares about you, a lot. This isn't some game to him. And if that is what it is to you, then he will be left crushed. And I can't accept that. So, if this is all just some ploy to mess him about or to learn our secrets then dump him once you know, I am going to make you regret the day that you thought you could play him false." He says and the warning in his tone is real.

Lily looks back at him and she doesn't quite know what to say. She can tell that he is just being protective of his friend but it hurts her slightly that he doesn't trust her.

"I'm not after him to figure out your secrets, Sirius. I really care about him as well." She says. "For Merlin's sake, I invited him to my sister's wedding. He is going to go meet my family. Do you think I would invite him to meet my family if I was just messing him about?" She asks a little heatedly.

"I just want to be sure, Lily. He has been chasing after you for years. He doesn't deserve to go through all that and then, when his hopes are so high, to get crushed down."

"Believe me Sirius, if anyone is going to be doing the crushing, it will be James." She tells him.

It is something she has been worrying about. That James may get bored with her once the chase is done and he has her. She thinks of how he is probably used to more experienced witches and of how she probably won't be able to keep up.

Sirius snorts derisively at her words. "I highly doubt that, Lily. That dolt would willingly follow you into a crowd of Death Eaters."

Lily smiles a little at that and Sirius returns it warmly.

"Just so you know Lily, if you hurt him, you'll have to answer to me. And I am not afraid to hex a witch, so long as you have a wand in hand." He promises.

"You are a great friend, Sirius." She tells him.

"James deserves a great friend." And with that he leaves the classroom.

Lily smiles. Sirius' warning only makes her all the more sure that she wants to continue on with whatever she and James have started.

-J-3-L-

Friday afternoon Lily leaves her dormitory and enters the common room to find James already waiting for her with his bag.

"Ready?" He asks.

"Yes. Here, let me send our bags ahead of us that way we don't have to carry them."

"Good idea." He tells her and then opens the portrait hole for her.

They walk down through the castle and pass the Great Hall, full of students eating lunch, and onto the grounds. As they walk down the front stairs James takes up Lily's hand in his own.

"Ok, explain the plan to me one more time."

Lily smiles. She knows he is having trouble understanding the convoluted plan. Petunia's only stipulation for letting Lily attend the wedding with a guest is that they are not allowed to do any magic what-so-ever.

"We are going to Apparate to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and then meet my dad in Kings Cross. He will then drive us to my parent's house. That way it looks like we arrived in a completely non-magical way and Petunia will be happy." Lily explains proud of her plan.

"But, won't she notice our bags arrive without us and know we used magic?"

Lily beams at him. "I didn't send them to the house. I sent them to the trunk of my dad's car so we can carry them in with us."

"You really have thought of everything." James tells her giving her hand a light squeeze.

"I just want everything to go smoothly. Maybe she'll see that I'm not a freak and having me around isn't the worst thing in the world."

"I'm sure she knows that. Besides, if she can't see how special you are, and how much trouble you are going through just to please her, then she has to be blind." He tells her as they walk through the gates. They turn together on the spot and arrive at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Lily leads him through the barrier and out into the parking lot where her father is waiting for them. When they arrive at her childhood home, Lily's dad helps James carry the bags in and Lily's mum greets them in the entry way.

"Hello again James, welcome to our home."

"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Evans. Your home is lovely."

She smiles at him. "Thank you for saying so. Lily, we are going to set James up in your room for the weekend. You'll have to bunk with Petunia." Mrs. Evans says Lily and inwardly groans. _Wonderful._

"Oh no, Mrs. Evans, I could never put someone out of their room. I'm fine with sleeping on the couch or even the floor if need be." James tells her, knowing that Lily is in distress. _He really is a great guy, chivalrous to the core._

"That is very generous of you, James. I will make you up a nice bed on the couch." She says, giving him a kind smile. She leads them all into the small kitchen where Petunia sits at the table, seating charts spread out in front of her.

"Petunia, Lily has arrived with her guest." Her mum says and Petunia looks up.

"Petunia, this is James Potter. James, this is my sister Petunia." Lily says awkwardly.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Petunia. I have heard such wonderful things." James says, stepping forward to shake her hand. Petunia gives him a look of deep distaste and takes his hand as if it were diseased.

"Yes. Mum, I need your help I can't figure out where to sit the Campbell's. They can't be with the Smith's, as their son just divorced their daughter. It is a complete mess."

"We'll figure it out, dear. Let me see." Her mum says going to join Petunia at the table.

-J-3-L-

Lily finds James in front of the hall mirror trying to tie his tie. "Here, let me help." Lily says turning him around to face her.

"So, tonight is a dinner?" He asks her.

"Yes, but first we have the rehearsal." Lily tells him. Then she explains to him why they do the rehearsal and what it is all about.

"Right, well, it will be something to see at least." He says and leans down as if he is going to kiss her

Before their lips can touch however, Petunia comes bounding down the stairs. "Hurry up, we are going to be late. I can't be late for my own rehearsal!"

On the way to the church Lily points out places that she used to frequent as a child. James asks her questions and makes comments. This is one of the things she likes most about him. He really listens to what she has to say and is genuinely interested in her past.

Lily and James sit together in the back of the church as the others rehearse. She tells him everything she knows about Vernon so that he will have something to say when they meet.

"So, do all Muggles get married in churches?" He asks looking around at the large, ornate cathedral. "Or can they get married where ever, like it is with wizards?"

"It's the same as with wizards." Lily tells him. "Churches are just more traditional for Muggles. It looks really nice in pictures, you see."

"Hm, it is a bit too large for my taste." He comments. "I think when I get married I would prefer it to be outside." Lily smiles at him. She too has always wanted an outdoor wedding.

It is strange for her to hear James talk about weddings at all, let alone his own. She never pictured him as the type to want to settle down and have a family. But, as they sit together watching Petunia and Vernon practice their vows, she can picture him standing in front of a large crowd in his best dress robes, with Sirius at his side. Lily imagines herself marrying James.

_Lily Potter. That sounds nice. _She shakes her head. _I shouldn't be thinking about this. I am still in school. I need to focus on NEWT's. Besides, I don't even know where James and I stand. Sure he came here with me, but who knows?_

After the dinner they all pile into her father's car and head back home. The whole way Petunia and her mother discuss details and go over their worries for the big day. Lily notices James smiling politely but she is sure he is bored to tears at this conversation. Petunia shocks Lily when she includes her in the conversation by asking her opinion on the church. She responds politely with a smile.

"And what did you think of Vernon's friend Arnold?" She asks her. Lily feels James tense next to her.

"He was very nice." Lily says catching James' jealous expression out of her peripheral view. She likes knowing that he doesn't want her with anyone else. It's a good feeling.

When they get back to the house Petunia tells her she is going to go put on her dress to show her and rushes into the house. Lily turns to James but sees that he is already talking to her father.

"How about we go out to my shed and get away from all this wedding rubbish?" He says.

"That sounds wonderful." James replies.

Lily suddenly feels nervous. She hadn't expected James to spend any alone time with her father. _What will he say to him? Will he scare James away? _James gives Lily's arm a reassuring squeeze and then follows her father to the back yard.

-J-3-L-

Lily hadn't gotten a chance to speak to James for the rest of the night. So once she is completely sure that everyone else is asleep, she sneaks downstairs to see him. He looks to be asleep, his glasses are off and he is spread out on the couch. She walks over and pokes his shoulder several times until he begins to stir.

"Lily?" He asks and then he sits up quickly, looking alarmed. "Is everything ok? Are you hurt?"

"No, oh no, it's nothing like that." She says suddenly feeling guilty for waking him for such a ridiculous reason. "I just… well, we didn't really get to talk at all tonight. I wanted to make sure you are doing alright with the whole Muggle thing." She says, twisting her hands nervously.

He smiles at her and puts his glasses on. He moves over on the couch and lifts the blanket up for her. "Come sit with me." He says and she does, glad that he isn't angry at her for waking him.

"I'm doing fine. It's not that bad, honestly. I'm not saying I would like to do it all the time." He chuckles. "But, I don't mind it. I'm just happy to be here for you. I know it's important to you to be here."

"I'm glad you are here too. You always know what to say." She says and snuggles into his chest as he puts his arm around her.

"Do you think she will ever be ok with me being a witch?" She asks him. He doesn't speak for a moment.

"I don't know her as well as you do, but from what I've witnessed, it seems as if she misses you as a sister and a friend just as much as you miss her. She just doesn't know how to relate to you. Your dad told me tonight that it is hard for them sometimes because you have this whole other life that they can never be a part of and they don't know how to bridge the gap between them. But he says they are proud of you and they want you to be happy. I think that is how Petunia feels also. She just buries it deep. She doesn't seem the type to talk about her feelings. Anger and jealousy are much easier emotions to feel that acceptance and understanding." He says, kissing the top of her head in a caring way.

_How does he do that? He always knows exactly what I need to hear even if I don't know it myself. Merlin, he understands me so well._

"Thank you." She tells him. "That is probably the most helpful thing anyone has ever said to me on the subject."

"You know what we should have now?" She asks him, an idea striking her. He groans as she stands up.

"Where are you going? I was so comfortable here with you." He protests.

She presses her finger to his lips to shush him. "I will be right back." She says and runs to the kitchen to get them hot cocoa.

She hands him his mug as she sits back down and he throws the blanket back over her. "Excellent idea." He tells her.

When they finished their cocoa he sighs. "You should probably go get some sleep. Don't you have to be at the church pretty early with Petunia and your mum?" He asks, looking as if he doesn't want her to go.

"Yeah, so do you."

"Nah, I'm going to come with your dad. He said he doesn't have to be there 'til later and he wants me to see if I can help him with his mower. Quick question, what's a mower?"

Lily grins at him. She is glad that he and her father seem to be getting on so well. "It's a Muggle machine that you push around and it cuts the grass, or mows the grass, hence mower. It has been broken since the middle of July and dad refuses to buy a new one."

"Why didn't you just repair it for him?"

"Can you imagine what Petunia would have said when my dad bragged that I fixed his mower with magic?"

James nods in understanding. They both fall silent for a moment and Lily tries to hide a yawn, but he catches her and demands she head to bed.

"Alright, well I guess I will see you at the ceremony then?" She says, her voice sounding a little pouty.

"Sounds good."

Lily gets up for the couch and turns around to face him. She leans down and gives him a lingering good night kiss. "Pleasant dreams." She whispers in his ear before turning to walk back upstairs, leaving him grinning.

-J-3-L-

The wedding goes off without a hitch.

Lily and James sit in the front pew with her parents as the bridal party starts the procession out of the hall. Lily looks around. There must be three hundred people in the church and she only recognizes a handful of them. Shaking her head, they head out of the church and to the reception. The grandeur of the whole event isn't exactly Lily's taste, and she doesn't understand how Petunia can possibly know this many people, but she is having a nice time all the same.

Lily turns away from a conversation she was having with one of her friends from primary school and sees James chatting to her parents batty old neighbor, Mrs. G. She walks over to them and he smiles at her.

"Ah, Lily, my favorite little flower. I was just having a nice chat with your boyfriend here." Lily blushes a little at the term boyfriend but James doesn't seem to notice.

"Mrs. G was just telling me some wonderful stories about you playing tricks on her as a child." James says smirking. "Apparently you were quite the little mischief-maker."

She knows why he finds this so amusing and she too sees the irony in it. "Yes, but I grew up." She tells him.

When Mrs. G turns her back on them, Lily sticks out her tongue at James. "Ah yes, very mature." He laughs.

She is having a fabulous time. She and James watch the cake being cut and all the other little Muggle wedding traditions. When the dancing starts James stands and holds his hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?" He asks. Lily takes his hand and he leads her out onto the floor.

As the band strikes up another slow song he pulls her in close and whispers in her ear. "Lily, you are aware that this does not count as our first date, aren't you?"

"Oh it doesn't?" She asks trying to hide the sudden eagerness rushing through her.

_He said that this doesn't count as our first date. That means he is planning on having a real first date, right?_

"Nope, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but your sister's wedding will not be our first date."

Her heart seems to be swelling in her chest. "Oh no? Then what will our first date be, if not my sister's wedding?"

"Well, that depends. Are you _finally_ agreeing to go out on a date with me?" He asks, grinning at her.

"I believe I am."

"Then it's a surprise. But, just so you are not disappointed on the day of, I must warn you that it won't be quite this extravagant." He tells her looking around the spectacularly decorated room.

"I think that I am ok with that."

They continue their playful banter as they dance until the photographer comes over to them.

"We need you for some family photos, bring your boyfriend please." He says before rushing away.

Lily blushes again at the man's words and wonders if James has noticed how many people have been calling him that tonight. But he just grabs her hand and leads her through the crowd, following the man as if he had said nothing at all.

Lily poses for several pictures with her family. James is asked to be in a few as well. Then, Lily can hardly believe her ears, Petunia ask for a picture with just the two of them.

The night ends as Lily hugs her sister and tells her to have a good honeymoon and watches her drive away with her new husband. _Things are definitely different now. _James puts his arm around her and hugs her close. _But that isn't really a bad thing._

-J-3-L-

Sunday morning, after a wonderful breakfast, Lily and James say goodbye to her parents before they disapparate to the front gates of Hogwarts. They walk the familiar path back to school hand-in-hand.

"Saturday." James says.

Lily looks round at him confused. "Sorry?"

"This Saturday is when I want to take you on our first date." He tells her.

"That sounds wonderful."

He turns to face forward, a smile apparent on his face. Lily knows she too is grinning.

_I am going to go on a date with James Potter. I can't wait._

-J-3-L-

"What were his exact words?" Mary asks excitedly.

Lily had rushed her friends up to their dormitory the moment she reached the common room. She couldn't wait to tell them all about her and James' weekend. Now they are sitting down on Lily's bed giggling like fourth years.

"Well, at the wedding, we were dancing and he told me that it didn't count as our first date."

"Awe." Beth said clutching her chest.

"Then, when we were walking back up to the castle just now he told me that this Saturday is when he wants to take me on a date." Lily says beaming.

"Saturday?" Mary asks confused. "Why so long?"

Lily looks at her friend puzzled. _Why does he want to wait so long? People go on dates on school nights all the time._

"Because, they have patrol every night. Besides, a proper date takes planning. He can't just put it together in one day." Beth says.

Lily nods in agreement sure that this is the reason. _James will want to plan out a whole evening. He wouldn't want to cram it in between dinner and patrol._

"Did he tell you where he is taking you?" Beth asks.

"Nope, he said it's a surprise."

"Ah, yes then he is definitely planning something." Mary agrees.

-J-3-L-

Lily stands in front of her friends at a quarter 'til seven on Saturday night.

"Well?" She asks.

"Perfect." Beth tells her.

"James will love it." Mary agrees.

Lily decided on her green V-neck jumper her mum had given to her for her birthday and her tan mini skirt. James still refused to tell her what they are doing, so she isn't sure how she should dress.

"I bet he is going to sneak you into Hogsmeade. Oh, that would be so cool." Beth gushes.

Lily smirks. She knows James would never risk even the slightest chance of her getting caught sneaking out and jeopardizing her reputation. "Maybe." She allows.

"Maybe a picnic by the lake. That would be so romantic." Mary suggests.

That seems to be more correct. James will do something romantic. He had shown her that side of himself over the summer.

"Ok, we'll go down first. Have fun!" They call and her two best girlfriends leave the dormitory.

Lily straightens her jumper and fusses over her hair for a moment longer then heads down the girl's staircase. James is standing by the doorway leaning against the wall looking flawless in a light blue jumper and nice slacks. She is glad to see that she had dressed appropriately.

"Hi." She says and he straightens up.

"Hi, you look incredible."

"Thank you." She says, a blush coming to her cheek as she notices all the people who are now staring at them.

"Shall we?" He asks.

She nods and he wraps her arm around his and leads her out into the corridor.

"So where are we going?" Lily asks once they are out of the Fat Lady's sight.

"Tonight, Lily, I would like to show you, if you are willing of course, another of The Marauders secrets." He says.

_Another of their secrets? How can they possibly have more? _She finds herself extremely curious.

"Are you?" James asks.

"Am I what?" She asks, looking up at him confused, afraid he had said something while she was lost in her own thoughts.

"Willing to let me show you?" He says, smiling at her.

"Yes, of course!" Lily tells him the excitement apparent in her voice.

"Good because this one is special. I doubt anyone else in the castle knows about it."

When they reach the corridor containing a statue portraying Gregory the Smarmy unwisely trying to train trolls for the ballet, James stops and turns to her. "Stand right here and don't move." He says.

She watches as he paces back and forth. _What is he doing? This is just silly. _She is just about to ask him what is going on when a door suddenly appears in the wall. Lily's stares at it, amazed. She had never known that there was a room there.

James walks back to her and grabs her hand pulling her towards the door. "This, Lily, is what we call the Room of Requirement."

"Wha –"

"I will explain everything inside." He says, cutting her question off.

He opens the door for her and motions for her to enter. Lily walks through and feels her jaw drop. The scene is extremely familiar to her, though, she can't understand how it can be real.

"It's the gazebo." She whispers.

"Yes, well, not the real one of course, just a replica." He says.

"So, we haven't left Hogwarts?" She asks, turning away from the beautiful white gazebo lit entirely by candles that is so reminiscent of the one in the Potter's garden.

"No. We are still in Hogwarts. Which I suppose is the true magic of the room."

"This is amazing."

"I was hoping you'd like it." He says as he leads her up the stairs of the gazebo and sits her down at the small table. "Wait right here, I will be back in two seconds." He tells her and walks back to the door returning with three trays levitating in front of him.

"Dinner is served." He says and unveils two plates of extremely delicious looking food.

"James. How – What – Where?"

James smirks. "Padfoot and I found the room in our second year. We were running from Filtch. We had just let off some fireworks in the Entrance Hall and he was rather upset, you know. Well, we got up here really quick but he was right on our tails and we could hear McGonagall coming from the other direction. So, we ran back and forth a couple of times thinking that we really needed a place to go, and suddenly the door appeared. Without hesitating we jumped into what, at the time, was a broom cupboard.

After hours and hours of trying to find that broom cupboard again, I found myself pacing in the corridor thinking, 'I need to find that door again'. The door appeared funnily enough, but nothing was behind it. It was just a door that opened up to reveal a blank wall. I contacted Padfoot and he was here within minutes. It took us the rest of second year to work it out, but here we are." He says finishing his story with a smile.

"So, the room becomes what you ask it to be?"

"Kind of. It becomes what you tell it you need it to be. Peter was the one to figure it out in the end. When you tell it you need something, it provides, hence the title Room of Requirement." He tells her and seeing that she still looks slightly confused he elaborates. "Think of something you need right now, anything at all." He says.

Lily can't think of anything she truly needs at the moment. Looking around she decides that some desert would nice, so she thinks; _I need James' favorite desert._

Nothing happens.

_I need James' favorite dessert._

Again nothing happens.

_Maybe that is too hard of a request. I need treacle tart._

Nothing happens, so she looks back at James. "You're winding me up, aren't you?"

"No I'm not. What did you ask for?"

"Dessert." Lily tells him.

"Ah, well see, that is the thing about this room, it can't provide us with food. Even it isn't immune to the laws of magic. But as it turns out, I do have dessert." He says showing her the third tray he brought in with hot fudge sundaes on it.

"You really thought of everything." She says, smiling.

Picking up a spoon she thinks back over his story about finding this place. "You said you contacted Sirius right away." She says.

"What?" James asked apparently confused by her train of thought.

"In your story, you said that you contacted Sirius right away after finding the door. How did you do that?"

"Oh, well that is just another Marauder secret. Well, actually I guess it's more of a brotherly secret, as Sirius and I are the only ones who have them." James says thoughtfully.

"Have what?"

"Two-way mirrors. They're a good way to get a hold of each other when we are on opposite ends of the castle. We mainly use them when we are in separate detentions, that way we don't get too bored." He explains.

"Wow, that's pretty cool. Can I see?" Lily asks.

"I didn't bring mine along tonight, but I will show you tomorrow if you like." He suggests.

Lily nods. She loves finding out all the different little secrets The Marauders have. It seems like for every one he tells her there are three more that he is still hiding from her.

"What do you usually use this room for?" She asks him.

"Mostly just to hang out, it sort of mimics The Marauder Room from back at my house. Sometimes we come in here to get away or to be alone too. The possibilities are endless."

"And the others are ok with me being here?"

"Of course, I told them what I wanted to do a few weeks ago. They all agreed that I should tell you all of our secrets." He gives her a small grin that falls almost instantly into a frown as he looks down at his ice cream.

Unsure of why that would make him sad, she decides to distract him. "What did you ask it to be tonight?" She asks him, curious to know how the room could know exactly what the perfect date for her and James would be.

"I asked it to be the gazebo. It just seemed right. But I asked for romance as well, which, I assume, is why it is all candle lit."

Lily smiles and agrees with him as her insides do backflips. He really has the romance thing down. The room could have provided them with nothing what-so-ever and she is sure that he could have made it romantic.

"So, what's next?" Lily asks, pushing aside her empty ice cream dish.

He looks like he is debating something for a moment. "How about some dancing?" He asks.

Suddenly on their right fifty candles appear illuminating a small dance floor. He takes her hand and leads her over to it.

"But there's no music." She points out.

James smiles at her. "What did you just learn about this room?"

"Oh." Lily says, catching on, and thinks, _we need some music to dance to._

Appearing from nowhere in particular is a string quartet that all start playing themselves at the same time, making a very pretty melody for James to twirl her around to. After a few minutes of silently swaying to the enchanting tune, Lily smiles up at him again.

"You said that the others told you to tell me all of The Marauder's secrets?" She asks playfully.

James looks almost resigned as he nods. "I told them that it was what I wanted to do and they agreed. They all knew it was coming anyway, so it wasn't a real shock. And I think they honestly really want you to know."

"Do I know them all, then?"

_They can't possibly have any more. Yet, he never explained what their nick names mean or why I can't go with them into Hogsmeade on full moon nights_. James sighs deeply and behind them a very comfortable looking couch appears.

"What's the matter?" She's asks concernedly as he sits down and motions for her to do the same.

"Lily, I want to first say that I really enjoy letting you share this with me, letting you in on all The Marauder's secrets. I don't think I need to explain to you how rare it is. Very, very few people know even half of what you know about us."

Lily smiles proudly, extremely touched that he and his friends feel that she is trustworthy. "I know, James."

"It really means a lot to me to let you know all the things that I have shared, and am about to share, with you."

"So there is more?"

"Yes." He says not quite meeting her eye.

After a few moments of silence he gives her a smile. "Do you remember at Petunia's wedding how people addressed me as your boyfriend?" He asks her.

Lily blushes deeply at this. She hadn't realized he'd noticed. "Yes." She answers, unsure of what this has to do with his secrets, but knowing that he is going somewhere.

"I have been thinking, for a very long time I might add, about what it would feel like to be called Lily Evans' boyfriend. All the scenarios I came up with in my head couldn't ever compare to how it truly felt. It was incredible." Lily feels the blush again.

"When you asked me to go to Petunia's wedding with you I started imagining what it would be like to have you as my girlfriend. How amazing it would be. But I knew in order for me to be in a relationship with you, to be the type of boyfriend you deserve, that you would need to know all of my secrets, including the biggest one yet." He admits.

Lily looks straight into his hazel eyes for the first time since they sat down. The sincerity and emotion she sees there makes her heart pang for him. _He is such an amazing person. He _does_ want to be my boyfriend, but he wants me to know all of his secrets first. He wants to be honest with me, so that there are no surprises. _She feels a mixture of excitement and nerves at this. _What could possibly be more surprising than having a werewolf for a best friend?_

"Do you want me to tell you, Lily? If you don't, I completely understand."

She nods at him. "Of course I do."

"Before I tell you, I must know that you will not tell anyone else what I am about to tell you."

"You know I won't, James."

"I am serious, Lily. After I tell you this, you may not want anything to do with me. You may not want anything to do with any of us. I need to know that this will stay secret, no matter what. Because this is not just my secret I am telling you, it's all of ours."

"I understand, James. I swear to you that I will never speak a word of it to anyone, even if I am so mad that I never wish to speak or see you ever again." She tells him, although the idea is comical.

He's starting to scare her slightly though. _What could possibly be this bad?_

"Alright, then, if you are ready." She nods encouragingly at him. "I guess I should start with saying that you once told me that you would one day figure out what our nicknames mean. You are about to."

_Finally_.

"Moony is, as you know, obvious. But Peter, Sirius and I are all unregistered Animagi and are nicknamed after the animals we transform into." He explains very slowly, as if hoping that if he says the words slow enough she will forget them by the time he is done speaking.

Lily can't believe she had just heard what she thinks she heard. "You mean you…" She can't finish, it is too surreal. _They can't be._ _It's so rare._ "No you can't be. This is a prank, isn't it?"

James shakes his head slowly at her and his eyes give away that he is telling the truth.

"But it's so dangerous. And besides that, not being registered? That's against the law. Not some stupid school rule, James. It is actually illegal. Like, lock-me-up-in-Azkaban-for-breaking-the-law, illegal. Even you four aren't that reckless."

James hangs his head. "I knew you would be upset, Lily." He says in a small voice. "But I assure you we know the risks."

Lily snorts at this. _If he knew the risks, he surely wouldn't have done it._

"I'm hoping that you will let me explain to you why we do this, before you leave this room and never speak to me again." He says looking up at her.

"It's something you _do_?" She asks, confused by his phrasing.

"Yes. We didn't learn to transform for the hell of it. We have, as I feel, an excellent reason to be Animagi and also for keeping it a secret." Lily just stares at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"You also once wanted to know if you could go with us on full moon nights when we sneak out. And we refused. The reasons we gave you at the time were absolutely true. I would never risk you getting in trouble and I know Remus would never allow you to risk your reputation just to help him. But those aren't the only reasons you can't go with us." He explains.

Lily half hopes he isn't going to say what she thinks he is.

"Sirius, Peter and I transform into our animal forms and we sneak out each full moon to spend the evening with Remus – please let me finish." He says hastily when Lily opens her mouth to interrupt him.

She just nods again and listens. "We found out about Remus a long time ago. When we did, Sirius and I did as much research on the subject as we could. We read about the transformation and how painful it is. Do you remember when we were younger how he would either be gone from school or in the Hospital Wing for days every month?" He asks her and Lily nods to tell him she remembers.

"Well, that was because when he transforms alone he bites and scratches himself. Madam Pomfrey would have to keep him up there for days so that he could heal completely before being allowed to rejoin lessons." He explains.

Lily hadn't really thought about it until then, but ever since fifth year Remus stopped being absent from lessons so much. He looked healthier somehow.

"After even more research, Sirius and I found out that a werewolf is only a danger to humans. That means that when we are in our animal forms, Remus does not attack us. We go and meet him during the full moon so that he will not hurt himself. We let him be free of the wolf. He can run and explore with us and not be cooped up alone. It's how we came to write the map. We have learned so much about the castle and Hogsmeade and the forest. Sirius and I transform into big enough animals that we can keep him in check and prevent him from harming himself or others. It was the only way we could think of to keep him from being any more weighed down by something that he never asked for, something that he can't help." He stops talking and Lily registers the extremely sad look on his face.

"Like I said, we know the risks. But, Remus is worth it. Why should he have to suffer more than he already does on a daily basis for something that isn't his fault?" He looks up at her again. "Ok, I'm done now. You can start yelling. Scream at me or hit me or do whatever you want to me, but I beg you not to tell anyone."

Lily doesn't speak; she just gazes into his hazel eyes. _He risks so much to help his friend. To do what he thinks is right. _She knows now with absolute certainty what she has been wondering for months.

_I love James Potter._

She knows that if he goes to such extreme measures to help out his friends, to protect them and defend them, then he is far more compassionate, more a man, than she had ever known.

Lily doesn't say a word and he hangs his head again. She slowly reaches out and places her hand on his cheek. He looks up at her and she leans forward and kisses him. He responds tentatively after a moment's hesitation. Lily breaks apart from him leaving her hand on his cheek.

"I think that it is very brave of you to do that for Remus. It is reckless, and slightly stupid, but I know it is out of love and loyalty to your friends that you do it." She tells him and he seems to swell with pride.

"I am sure it took a lot for you to say all of that, and I'm extremely grateful you did. I am also impressed that you can do such extraordinary magic and I'm honored that you trust me enough to tell me."

He leans forward and kisses her, quite a bit more passionately than he had just a moment ago.

"Thank you for understanding, Lily. You have no idea how much it means to me." He says slightly breathless from the kiss. She gives him a warm smile

"So, you said that you transform into a large animal. What animal is it?" She asks, extremely curious.

"Would you like me to show you?" He asks, his eyes alight with excitement at the prospect of sharing this part of his life with her.

"Yes, I would like that very much." She tells him and feels the excitement that is seemingly emanating from his body rush through her. He gives her a swift kiss on the cheek and stands.

Lily watches as he transforms in front of her. And a moment later she is staring at a magnificent stag, large with dark brown fur. The eyes are the exact color of James' with markings around them that remind her of his glasses. As her eyes fall on his antlers, she realizes.

"Prongs." She whispers.

The stag nods its head at her and takes a step forward. Lily reaches out and runs her hand across the surprisingly soft fur. She touches the antlers tentatively and then smiles. "Thank you for showing me, James."

She watches as he slowly transforms back into a man. He regains his seat next to her on the couch and wraps his arms around her, pulling her in close to his chest.

"I'm so glad that you aren't freaked out." He says tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I'm so glad you aren't secretly raising dragons in the Forbidden Forest." She says with a chuckle. "It's what I thought you three were doing on full moon nights. Don't look at me like that!" She says, because he is looking at her as if she were mad.

"Raising dragons in the Forbidden Forest?" He repeats while shaking with laughter.

"Don't laugh! It's a valid explanation for all your strange behavior. Why you wouldn't let me go, why you had to go at night, why you come back with injuries sometimes, and why you guys have never been scared of the place." She says as he continues to chuckle.

"Well, being unregistered Animagi must seem pretty anti-climactic after you were expecting illegal dragon breeding." He says.

"Believe me, it is plenty enough of a shock." She tells him. "But it is good to know that it is something important."

They fall silent as he just plays with her hair, a smile seemingly glued on his face.

"So, you're a stag."

"And a stud." He jokes. "But yes, I'm a stag."

"What are Peter and Sirius?"

"Sirius is a dog, a massive black one with loads of fur. That's why we call him Padfoot. I came up with it."

"Who came up with yours?"

"Remus. Peter thought up Moony. Sirius came up with Wormtail for Peter because he is a rat, tiny and grey."

"Peter is a rat?" She asks slightly confused.

"Yeah, why?" He asks knowing that she was pondering something.

"Well, it is just that… I can see why you would be a stag. You're a natural leader, strong and brave. Sirius as a dog makes sense too. He's fun loving, loyal and protective. But Peter as rat doesn't really fit. I mean I suppose he is short but… I don't get it."

"We think of it like this; since Sirius and I turn into such large animals, Peter turns into a small one out of necessity. He can go unnoticed where we can't. You know, check out small spaces and keep a look out for danger. He is quite useful."

"I suppose that would be. I didn't think of it that way." She concedes.

"Peter has a lot of untold potential and no one ever really sees it. Not even him. I even overlook it sometimes." James admits.

Lily thinks about that for a minute. Peter really does seem to be the one who always gets forgotten.

Remus is the strong, silent one. The prefect with a dark side. No girl can understand him and they love it, they all wanted to fix him. For that he gets a lot of attention. Sirius is, and has always been, the center of attention. Loud, funny and always has something to say. It isn't hard to understand how he gets a new girlfriend every week. James is the Quidditch star and now Head Boy. Always up for a good prank and has this air about him that makes you just want to be around him. Not to mention all three of them are extremely handsome.

Peter never seemed to fit. He wasn't in league talent or looks wise with the other three.

"I guess I forget it too. Most people can never understand how he fits in with you three. But I am starting to." She tells him.

He smiles down at her. This time Lily can tell he no longer has his friends on his mind.

"Mm… I'm glad. What about me? See any hidden potential there?"

She smirks at him. "I do. Though, it is quite different from Peter's."

"That is excellent news." He mumbles as he leans forward, face inches from hers. "Lily?" He asks.

_Does he really want to talk right now?_ Lily thinks exasperatedly.

"Hm?" She responds, trying to focus on his words, not his warm breath on her ear.

"I'm really, _really_ glad you finally said yes."

She smiles broadly. "Me too."

There is no more talking. As his lips finally find hers, she can barely think.

* * *

**A/N – This was another fairly long one. I just couldn't stop without explaining to you how the date went. **

**Let me know what you think. **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N – Just a quick warning: I changed the rating of the story to 'M' for this chapter and for future chapters.  
****I did this because, let's face it, even if they are still teenagers, they are technically adults now. I'm going write them as such.  
****Expect a little more coarse language and some sexual situations. I won't go into great detail or get too descriptive with it though.**

**Anyway, I hope that you decide to keep reading, and like it. **

* * *

James Potter has to be the happiest bloke in the entire world. No, the entire universe. He's a seventh year, Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, and the best Chaser in school. He has the three best friends anyone could ask for and he finally, FINALLY, went out with Lily Evans. Things could not get any better for him.

After he gives Lily one last kiss goodnight in the empty common room, he makes his way dreamily up to his dormitory.

"There you are, mate." Sirius calls from his four-poster.

Remus gets up from the window ledge, also looking relieved to see him. "How'd it go?" He asks.

James grins broadly at his friends. Sirius yells excitedly and jumps out of bed to tackle his best friend. They crash into the wardrobe and a loud ripping sound comes from Peter's bed, followed by the thump of him and his curtains falling to the ground in a heap.

"Warn me next time, mate." James says rubbing his head on the spot that hit the ground rather hard.

"What's going on?" Peter asks confused. "Is it Lily? Is she telling? What's the plan?" He asks untangling himself.

"Lily isn't going to tell, Wormtail." Remus says exasperatedly. "Prongs was just about to tell us about their date, but Padfoot tackled him."

"Sorry, I was just excited." Sirius says and helps his friend back to his feet.

_Sometimes I think he is more dog than human._

"Well, I told her all about us and why we do it and how. She said that she thinks we're brave, albeit reckless. She agrees that it's for a good cause and that she would never tell anyone about it."

Remus smiles and Sirius waves his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, we knew she wouldn't tell. What I want to know is why you're just getting in at," he checks his watch, "quarter 'til two."

James too looks down at his watch. He hadn't realized they had stayed out so late.

"It was the best date I've ever been on." He tells them. "She's…" He tries to think of which adjective would describe her best. "Perfect."

"Oh, we're going to do the mushy stuff. I thought this was going to get interesting." Sirius complains. "I don't want to hear that you gazed into each other's eyes all night, I want the good stuff."

"Sorry mate. That is the good stuff."

Remus and Peter laugh at the ridiculously shocked look on Sirius' face. "You mean, you told her that you can perform probably the highest level of transfiguration possible, and that you do it for noble reasons, and she didn't give it up?" Sirius asks astonished.

"It's not a pick-up line." Remus scolds him but James laughs. He knows Sirius has been imagining what they do to be the perfect story to tell witches to get them to shag him. Having it not work the way he envisioned it to is something of a personal failure for him.

"I wasn't trying to get into her knickers, Padfoot. I was trying to get her to trust me and actually _date_ me."

"Well, I know that, but I mean…" He trails off looking extremely put out.

"He looks like someone just told him that Father Christmas isn't real." Peter laughs. Remus too joins in.

"It's ok, Padfoot. I bet it's a brilliant way to get birds to shag you. I just wasn't trying to use it that way."

"I just had such high hopes for it." Everyone is laughing now, even Sirius.

"Well, is she your girlfriend then?" Remus asks.

"She is." James confirms and then collapses onto his bed, letting the events of the evening wash over him again with pure delight.

"Good for you mate, but I'm going back to bed." Peter calls and repairs his hangings before climbing back into his four-poster.

"I'm really happy for you, Prongs." Remus tells him. "We all knew you two would be good together, I'm glad she finally came round."

"Me too."

"Well, as disappointed in you as I am, I'm glad that you will finally stop moping around here wondering why she doesn't like you." Sirius says and then ducks to avoid the jet of light James hurls at him. "I'm just saying."

Laughing the three boys get ready for bed.

-L-3-J-

The next morning James meets Lily in the common room as they had planned. They are anticipating an unpleasant breakfast and decided to face it together. They figure that the rumor mill will be turning extra fast as soon as the news of them being a couple gets out. And as Lily shares a dormitory with one of the schools biggest gossips, the news got out within minutes of them leaving the common room together last night.

"Morning." James says, joining Lily and Mary by the fire.

"Morning." Lily replies with a smile as James gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh jeez, you two are too cute." Mary says.

"Gag me." Sirius says, having followed James over.

"Let's leave these two lovebirds to decide who's prettier and go get ourselves some breakfast." Mary suggests. Sirius agrees and they leave the new couple alone by the fire.

"You are prettier, in case you were wondering." James tells her and she laughs. "Do you want to go down?"

"I am rather hungry. I just don't want to face it." Lily admits.

"I don't want to face it either. We could avoid it entirely and eat breakfast in the kitchens with Dinky." He suggests, half kidding, half serious. He doesn't really want to put up with any snide remarks, not when he's feeling so happy.

"I wish." Lily chuckles.

"Let's get it over with." James says and stands up, holding his arm out for Lily.

They lace their fingers together as the walk down to the Entrance Hall. A few people stop to stare at them but James pretends to be oblivious to them. He listens to Lily tell him about how Mary and Beth had acted the night before when she returned to her dormitory. They seemed to of reacted the exact same way as his friends had.

They reach the Great Hall and James looks down at her with a nervous smile. "Here we go." She says and they enter together, hands held.

The hall erupts into low whispers the second they pass through the doors. People's heads turn to stare at them, a few even stand to get a better look as they pass them on the way to their usual seats. _This isn't as bad as I'd thought. _James concedes and takes his place next to Sirius, Lily on his other side.

"I know. Can you believe it? Poor James, all this time he's been under the influence of a love potion. I wonder if Evans will let him out of it." A particularly revolting girl says from behind them.

"I heard that they got caught shagging in Flitwick's classroom last week after Charms." Another says.

"Well, I heard she's still stringing along Selwyn as well." Her friend adds.

"Did you hear that Evans is pregnant with Lupin's kid? Apparently she lied to James and told him that it's his. You know, because he's rich and will be able to take care of her, you see."

"Potter has to have her under the Imperious Curse. There's no way she would date him otherwise." A Ravenclaw boy says, going out of his way to walk by James and Lily.

"Doesn't Lily know that Potter is a cheater? Poor girl, she'll find out eventually." His girlfriend adds.

"Don't let them bother you." Sirius says, laughing at the ridiculous rumors.

James shakes his head. He turns to Lily and places a hand on her neck, to hold her head steady, and he kisses her soundly right there at the Gryffindor table. _They can talk all they want, but they can never take away this feeling. It's the best feeling in the world._

A few whistles and cat calls come from the Gryffindors and he hears Mary and Beth say, "Awe". He breaks the kiss and she smiles up at him. He kisses on her forehead gently and wraps his arm around her waist, staying this way for the rest of breakfast.

When she finishes eating, she rests her head on his shoulder. "It wasn't that bad." She admits.

"Not bad at all." He agrees.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, I would like it if you could please refrain from such public displays of affection at the breakfast table from now on." Professor McGonagall says coming up behind them.

James looks round to smile at his favorite teacher. "Sorry Professor, but I don't think I can promise that it won't happen again." He says, smirking.

McGonagall's face twitches into a smile for a fraction of second and then falls again. "Your arm, Mr. Potter." James reluctantly removes his arm from around Lily. "Enjoy your Sunday." The Professor says giving Lily the faintest of winks.

"I can't believe she was so lenient." Beth says astonished.

"McGonagall's a big old softie." Sirius says taking a bite of his cornflakes.

"Yes but, she docked me ten points last term for snogging Johnny at lunch one day." Mary says, looking upset.

James takes up Lily's hand in his own under the table. "You just have to know when to pick your battles with her."

"How do you lot know when she'll let you off and when she won't?" Lily asks.

"Well, it helps if you know her moods. When she looks tired, she's usually not to be messed with." Remus tells her.

"I think it helps if you're a Marauder. She always goes soft when you four are involved." Beth says sulkily.

"But on the weekends or right after dinner she can usually go for a good joke or two." Sirius says, ignoring Beth's comment.

James smiles at Lily and leans down to whisper to her. "Don't worry. You'll pick it up soon enough."

-L-3-J-

The fact that Lily Evans and James Potter are dating seems to be the talk of the school for the next few weeks. But eventually everyone got over them and found new things to gossip about.

Head duties are turning out to be extremely enjoyable for James. Every night he and Lily walk around the deserted corridors for an hour, then they go off to the kitchens for hot cocoa or to find a secluded area to snog in.

When the first full moon since they had gotten together comes around James can't help but feel nervous. He walks Lily through their plan and makes sure that Beth is able to patrol with her. He doesn't want her to be out in the corridors at night by herself. Not with all the Slytherins lurking round. He knows she can defend herself better than any other witch in the school, and that nothing too awful can happen to her in the castle, but he still feels better knowing that she isn't alone.

This was the cause of their very first row as a couple. Lily had told him that she doesn't need to be looked after, that she isn't a child. James told her he knows she isn't, but he doesn't like the idea of her walking around at night, alone. She explained to him how she used to patrol alone loads, every time Remus was gone for the full moon. James could see her point, but things are different now. He couldn't figure out how to get her to see his point of view. So, he bribed Beth to patrol with her anyway.

After a night of excitement and adventure, James, Sirius and Peter return to Gryffindor Tower right before dusk. Sirius elbows James in the rib cage the moment they enter the common room.

"Ow!" James half shouts in pain.

Then he looks to where his friend is pointing. Lying down on the couch closest to the boy's staircase is Lily.

"What's she doing down here?" James asks confused.

"No idea. You figure it out, we're going to bed." Peter says climbing the stairs and Sirius follows.

James walks over and sits lightly on the edge of the couch. "Lily?" He asks softly.

She stirs and the sits up alarmed. "What time is it? Why are you back so early? Did something happen? Are you alright?" She asks very quickly.

James grins at her. "Lily, everything is fine. It's five in the morning. Don't tell me you've been down here all night."

She looks away from him, embarrassed. "I have."

"Why?" He asks, knowing how uncomfortable these couches are to sleep on. He had done it many times back before they knew about _muffliato_.

"I tried to go up to bed, but I just kept tossing and turning. I realized I wouldn't know when you got back, or if, you got back safely." She admits. "Then I started to run through all these terrible situations in my head. I knew I wouldn't be able to wait until breakfast to see you. I had to know when you got back, make sure that you are alright."

He feels his heart do another few back flips. _She was worried about me_.

"Lily, you didn't need to sleep down here. I told you everything would be fine."

"I know, I just… had to be sure."

He pulls her in close to his chest and gives her a tight hug placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. He loves this woman so much. She is everything he could have ever asked for.

"Besides, I couldn't wait 'til morning to do this." She says and then punches him on the shoulder.

"Oy! What was that for?"

"For bribing Beth with sugar quills. Honestly, James. All I had to do was promise to double the amount and she told me everything."

James has the good grace to look ashamed. "Are you very upset with me?"

"No. I should be, but it's like being angry at an owl for hooting. You are too gallant for your own good sometimes."

He grins at her and she returns it. He can see how tired she looks and he wonders how much sleep she has gotten. "Why don't you go and get a few more hours of sleep and I'll meet you for breakfast." He suggests.

She agrees and stands up on tip toes to wrap her arms around his neck. "I'm glad you made it back in one piece and detentionless."

He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her in tighter. "Me too."

Eventually he does make it up to his dormitory to get a few hours' sleep, but he knows that he'll never forget that moment.

-L-3-J-

James heads to the Prefect's Bathroom alone after his last Quidditch practice before their first match. They had decided to have a little fun today instead of just running drills. The whole team ended up covered in mud. He smiles as he remembers Lily and Mary in the stands laughing and how Lily refused to let him get near her until he cleaned up.

He approaches the Prefect's Bathroom and sees two people hovering in front of it, Avery and Rosier.

"I came to get you as soon as I could. Mulciber wants us down there right away." Avery says with a look of excitement extremely apparent on his sallow face.

James walks up to them, realizing he looks ridiculous still in his Quidditch robes and covered in mud. But he has his wand at the ready. He can take these two on, no problem.

"Looks like being so close to a Mudblood actually wore off on you, Potter." Rosier chuckles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" James asks, his temper rising.

"It means that you're just as filthy as your girlfriend's blood, Potter." Avery says.

James whips out his wand and points it straight at Avery's head. Rosier pulls out his wand as well and points it at James. "Say that again, Avery. See what happens." James threatens.

"He won't do anything. He's _Head Boy_ now. He can't risk getting the badge revoked." Rosier taunts.

James knows he's right. Starting a duel now would be stupid and he would get into loads of trouble.

"Let's go, Mulciber's waiting." Rosier says and slowly starts to back away, Avery following suit

James tucks his wand back into his robes and sighs. Last year he would have hexed Avery into next week, but now that he's Head Boy he has to be careful. Think before he acts.

"Salt Water." James says and enters into the Prefect's Bathroom for a nice long bath.

-L-3-J-

The morning of the first Quidditch match of the season James sits down to breakfast with his team as usual. Lily walks into the hall a few minutes after him with Mary, both girls decked out in Gryffindors colors.

James grins widely as he sees his pin displayed proudly on the front of Lily's robes, right next to her Head Girl badge. He also notices that she is wearing his Gryffindor scarf that he had given to her the previous weekend as they walked through Hogsmeade together. She approaches the team and he turns in his seat to say hello. But before he can speak she bends down and gives him a long, sweet kiss.

"Good luck today, James. I know you'll be brilliant." She whispers in his ear and then straightens up to wish the rest of the team good luck.

Professor McGonagall descends upon them again.

"Miss Evans, Mr. Potter I believe I talked you last month about public displays of affection at the breakfast table." She says.

"Sorry Professor," Lily begins, "but like James said, I can't promise it won't happen again." McGonagall smiles at this, a real smile.

"Touché, Miss Evans." The Professor says. She wishes the team good luck before going up to the head table.

"Lily Evans, you will never stop surprising me." He tells her. She gives him a wink and a quick kiss on the cheek before she and Mary continue on up the table to sit with Sirius, Remus and Peter.

James and his team flew amazingly in their match, but he had known they would. With the good luck wishes he had received from Lily, there was no doubt in his mind.

-L-3-J-

James watches Lily from across the common room. She's sitting with Mary and Beth and they're all giggling quite a bit. _She's so beautiful when she smiles_.

Tonight is another full moon, and while James would love to stay back and spend more time with Lily, he is really looking forward to getting out and having some fun with his friends. He crosses the common room and leans over the back of the couch to wrap his arms around Lily.

"What are you ladies so giggly about?" He asks.

"None of your business." Lily says.

James scoffs and then looks at Beth. "Are you sure you don't mind patrolling with Lily again tonight?" He asks her.

James knows that Lily can handle herself in a fight and is more than capable of patrolling alone. But he also knows that a select few Slytherins are known to use Dark Magic and that Lily would be one of their idle targets. If she were alone and ran into one of them… James won't even let himself think about it.

After a lengthy discussion on the matter, he and Lily had come to an agreement. Lily promised not to patrol alone and James promised to help her tutor first and second years. He doesn't exactly fancy the idea of spending his already limited free time teaching kids how to transfigure match sticks into needles and buttons into beetles, but if it's what Lily wants in exchange for his own piece of mind, he'll give it to her willingly.

"Not at all. You boys go have your fun." Beth says. James smiles. It's hard for him to believe that Mary and Beth still haven't figured out that Remus is a werewolf.

"Be safe." He whispers in Lily's ear before giving her a kiss on the neck.

"You too. And try to come back in one piece and detentionless." Lily instructs him and he smiles.

"I shall try. Night ladies." He says with a wink and then heads up to his dormitory, where he and his friends can get under the cloak before sneaking back out.

The three of them walk down through the castle undetected. When they reach the Whomping Willow Peter transforms under the cloak and scampers off to touch the knot. Once the branches freeze James and Sirius both transform and make their way down the familiar tunnel towards adventure.

-L-3-J-

James, Sirius and Peter make their way back up to Gryffindor Tower just before dusk.

Peter checks the map to make sure no one is around. "We're good to go without the cloak." He tells them.

It had been an extremely tiring full moon. Remus had nearly given them the slip twice. James had to collide with him several times before he could calm him down again. Sirius groans as he rubs his shoulder. James knows that he'd been tossed around a few times as well. They all need a good rest.

_Good thing tomorrow is Saturday, _James thinks gratefully.

"Pawns." Peter says and the Fat Lady mumbles in her sleep before swinging open for them.

James' heart does an anticipatory leap as he enters the portrait hole. He had been wondering all night if Lily would stay up in the common room to wait for him again. He looks around eagerly but she isn't there. He frowns as he feels his heart drop.

_Did she decide that I would be fine and she need not worry? Or is it something worse? Has she finally become fed up with all the stuff I put her through and decided she's better off without me? Or even worse, did something happen to her? Is she hurt?_

James makes his way quickly up the boy's staircase. He needs to get the map from Peter. Needs to find her on it, make sure she's sound asleep in her bed and nothing worse. He opens the door to his dormitory and nearly runs into Peter. He and Sirius are standing in the doorway looking half shocked, half amused.

"What are you doing?" James asks, confused. Sirius just steps aside and points to James' bed.

James feels shock run through his body that is quickly replaced by joy. Lily is lying fast asleep in his bed, curled up under his covers.

He knows his excitement must be showing on his face for both Peter and Sirius burst into laughter. James quickly silences his friends so as not to wake Lily. "Go to bed, mates. I don't want to disturb her."

They both make their way to their beds, looking sulky. When their curtains close around them, James walks over to his bed and sits down lightly on the edge.

"Lily?" She begins to stir as he repeats her name and slowly her eyes open. "Hi." He says and she smiles, embarrassed.

"Hi. Sorry to take over your bed like this." She says and he smiles at her.

"I don't mind. It's rather a nice surprise." He tells her, all thoughts of his exhaustion gone.

She is lying in his bed, under the covers. He still can't quite believe it. It's as if his dreams have literally come true.

She opens her mouth to begin explaining but James holds up his hand. "_Muffliato_." He says and cast the spell around them so that Sirius, who he knows will be trying to listen in, can't hear them. He closes the curtains around them and sits back down on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry, I just don't want them listening in. What were you about say?"

"I just was just going to explain what I'm doing her. I knew that I would be too worried if I was up in my dormitory, unable to know if you got back or not. But, I didn't want to sleep in the common room again, it was really uncomfortable. So, this was the only thing I could think of. I should have asked. I'm so sorry."

He leans down and kisses her forehead. "Lily, you're more than welcome to sleep in here on full moon nights. I quite like the idea actually."

She smiles at him and pushes him playfully. He winces. She found the exact spot that Remus had dug his claws into earlier.

"What's wrong?" She asks, sitting up. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

"It's nothing." He tells her honestly. "Moony just got a little overzealous. I'm fine. I promise." He adds at her skeptical look.

"Let me see."

James gives her an exasperated look. "Lily, it's not that bad."

"I'm going to be a Healer, James. I need to see wounds of all types. So, you might as well show me." She says sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.

James sighs and unfastens his cloak then undoes his robes, leaving him in his pants and nothing else. He's slightly nervous about undressing in front of her, but she has seen him topless before, so he isn't too self-conscious.

"See, just a bruise." He says, showing her his arm.

Lily gasps at the sight of the bruise running from his elbow up to his shoulder. She tucks her legs under her and leans forward, so she can get a better look. "Oh James, it looks awful."

"It's not bad Lily, honestly. We've all had worse."

"Does it hurt?" She asks running her finger tips softly up and down his arm.

"Aches a little, but all bruises do." He says, trying hard not to focus on how warm the room is starting to get.

She leans forward and begins placing soft kisses on the bruise, from the elbow all the way up his bicep. James is extremely aware of his pants tightening and he hopes that she won't notice. He swallows hard, trying to clear his mind from the wild thoughts that had just entered it.

"Does it hurt anywhere else?" She asks in a slightly breathless voice, a blush creeping across her cheeks.

_Has she noticed how warm it's gotten in here?_

"Uh, here?" James asks, pointing to his shoulder. She places a soft kiss on it.

"Here?" He asks again, pointing to his neck. She leans forward again to kiss his neck.

"How about here." He says and then turns his head so her lips can meet his.

She lets out a small giggle and he kicks his shoes off. He cradles her neck with his hand and kisses her deeply as he slowly lays her back onto the pillows. He readjusts himself so that he too is lying on the bed and positions himself half on top her with all his weight on his good arm, lips never leaving hers.

Her hands tangle in his hair and then move down to rest on his chest. He lets out a groan at her touch. Each time her skin touches his, it sends waves of excitement coursing through his body. He slowly moves his hand down from where it had been resting on her neck, giving her ample amount of time to stop him if she wishes.

She doesn't, so he pulls down the straps of her night-dress. His hand travels carefully over the newly exposed skin. He moves his kisses to her neck, completely lost in her. Her scent, her touches, her silky smooth skin, the way she moans as he caresses her. He can't get enough.

With an extraordinary effort he pulls away from her and rolls over onto his back. He glances over at her still heaving chest, panting from the passion that had almost taken him too far.

"Lily?" He asks.

"Yes?" She answers breathlessly.

"I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away. I don't want you to feel pressured. I'm not expecting anything." He says. He hopes he's making sense. His head is still a bit foggy.

She rolls over on her side to face him, her breasts still visible. This does nothing to calm him down.

"James, I know that you are trying to be a gentleman, and I do appreciate it. I'm not ready for sex just yet, but I'm not exactly opposed to where we just were. I have a feeling that you were alright with it as well?" She asks in an unbelievably sexy voice.

"That is the understatement of the century." James mutters. "I just don't want you to think that that's all I'm after. Because, Lily, you mean so much to me. I would wait forever to touch you the way I have tonight, if you asked me to."

"But I'm not asking you that." Lily tells him, eyes blazing.

_Did she really just say that? This has to be a dream._ She is so bold, so sure of herself. It's one of the many things that he loves about her. He turns on his side to face her.

"Are you su-" She cuts him off by placing her lips over his.

"No more talking tonight." She says.

He winds his arms around her waist and pulls her closer to him as the kiss deepens. She lets out another little moan and he rolls her onto her back, once more reclaiming his position propped over her.

James lets his lips travel up to Lily's ear then allows them to make their slow decent down to her chin, then her neck and her collar-bone, delighting in every sound that escapes her lips. He pauses to look up at her. Her eyes are closed and she looks flushed. He can't believe that look is on her face. He commits it to memory. Just another beautiful, wonderful thing about her.

As his lips continue their ministrations, he moves his free hand to her thigh. When his hand reaches the bottom of her short night-dress he feels her quiver in anticipation. He can't have imagined a more perfect moment if he'd tried.

He pulls back slightly, wanting to watch her face as his fingers begin their rhythm. He is completely ensnared by her. The way she lets out soft, almost apologetic, moans, the way she bites her lip, the way her fingers dig into his flesh. He can't get enough. Her body twitches slightly and he feels a fresh wave of warmth and wetness around his fingers. He smiles into her neck and gives it a soft kiss before pulling away.

Bringing Lily to orgasm was nothing like he'd ever experienced before. He can't even begin to describe the way it made him feel.

She pants heavily into his shoulder. "Oh, wow. I never - oh…"

James smiles proudly at her apparent speechlessness. He has never gotten quite such a reaction from any other girl before, nor does he quite care about their reactions much. Lily is the only woman who matters to him now.

He kisses her forehead and rolls onto his back so that they can both catch their breath. He hadn't noticed before, but he too is breathing heavy. It was such a sensual moment between them.

After a long moment, she lets out a contented sigh. Light can be seen through the cracks in the curtains. The sun had risen properly while they were otherwise occupied. His eyelids start to feel extremely heavy, his exhaustion seemingly catching up to him finally. He feels Lily shift next to him and he looks over at her. She's on her side again, staring at him. He notes that she pulled the straps of her night-dress up into their proper places, and he's grateful for it.

"You're amazing." She says and he feels himself smile.

"I was just thinking the same thing about you." He tells her.

"I need to tell you something."

James turns his head to face her, suddenly panicked. _ Did she just fake that?_

His shining moment of pride is slowly darkening. "What is it?" He asks trying not to sound self-conscious.

"That was sort of my… uh, the first time I've… well it, uh... I mean - it was…"

"Was that your first orgasm?" James asks and he knows his face shows his shock.

She nods, looking embarrassed.

James feels his shining moment come back full force and, if possible, even brighter. He knows that she and Selwyn had gotten to this point before. Selwyn used to brag about it whenever he knew James was in ear shot. He never fathomed this. James has never fully appreciated how much harder it is for women to come to orgasm than it is men.

"Are you ok?" He asks her, concerned. _Had she wanted that to happen?_

"I'm wonderful. That was wonderful. You're wonderful. I'm so glad it was you." She says blushing. He again feels pure delight wash over him.

"James," she says in a small barely audible voice. "Thank you."

He can't help but chuckle at this and she shoves him lightly. "Don't laugh!"

"Sorry. That was just so sweet and innocent, I just couldn't help it. But, you're welcome." He says with another chuckle.

He had never been thanked before. None of his past girlfriends, that he had gotten to this point with, had given him this reaction. He doubts it had ever meant as much to another girl. He had never put that much feeling into it before. He was always too concerned with his own hormones, his own needs. But with Lily, all he wanted to do was watch her cheeks flush and hear her moans of pleasure more than anything. And she thanked him. He can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it. She joins in.

"Oh, Lily, I love you." James says, still chuckling.

He freezes. He hadn't meant to say it. He knows that it's true, and he had been planning on telling her soon, but he had a whole evening planned with flowers and candles and romance. And he just ruins it by blurting it out stupidly as they lay in bed.

_Hopefully she didn't hear. _He looks up at her to see that she is staring right into his eyes.

"You love me?"

_Shit, she heard._ He swallows hard.

"Yes, I do. Sorry. I didn't mean to just blurt it out in such a stupid way. I wanted it to be romantic and I just go and muck it up by-" She cuts him off again by placing lips over his.

"I love you, too." She says, her green eyes shining brightly.

"You do?" He asks, elated by the prospect.

She nods and he wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. He kisses her lovingly and then pulls back to gently stroke her check with the back of his fingers. "I think this may be the best night of my life."

"Mine too." She agrees and snuggles into his chest.

He pulls the covers over them both and they fall into silence, lying together in this perfect happy moment, not a care in the world. He loves this woman in his arms and she loves him back. Life is great, nothing could possibly be better than this. He kisses the top of her head and finally lets his eye lids close.

-L-3-J-

It seems like only a few seconds have passed when James hears Sirius yell. "Oy! What is it with you bitches waltzing in here like it's your dormitory?"

James feels Lily stirring in his arms and he puts his glasses on before calling out to his best mate. "Padfoot, what's going on?"

"I'll tell you what is going on!" Mary shouts. "Lily never came back to the dormitory last night. Her bed's not been slept in and she wasn't at breakfast. So, you need to get your lazy arse out of bed and help me find your girlfriend!" She roars and flings open his curtains.

"Come on now!" He yells as Lily shrieks.

"Oh whoops!" Mary says embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Lily. I was just scared something had happened to you, you know, after that business with the Slytherins yesterday."

"It's ok, Mary." Lily says quickly.

"What business with the Slytherins?" James asks before anyone can speak again. "Lily, what happened?"

"It's nothing James, really. Really!" She adds when he doesn't look convinced.

He can feel his friend's eyes all on him but he doesn't care. _How could she not mention something like this? ESPECIALLY considering what happened._ His arm gives a painful throb and his head starts to pound, he needs more sleep.

"What happened Lily, and don't lie to me." He says sitting up and facing her. He knows his voice conveys the anger that he feels.

"James, I would never lie to you." Lily says, also sitting up. "I swear it wasn't that big of a deal. Beth and I caught a group of them lurking in one of the dungeon classrooms. We told them to get to their common room. They just called me a couple colorful names and I docked them ten points each and they went on their way."

James knows she isn't lying to him, but he still feels like she is leaving something out. "Who was it?" He asks.

Lily looks down at her hands unwilling to answer, so he turns his attention to Beth. "Who was it, Beth?"

Beth gives Lily an apologetic look as she answers. "It was Mulciber, Avery, Sirius' brother and Snivelly." She tells him.

James glances at Sirius, who went rigid at the mention of his brother, then meets Lily's eyes again. "Snape?" He hisses.

The others seem to sense danger, because Peter mumble something about breakfast and the others follow him out of the dormitory.

"Snape?" He repeats.

"Really James, it was nothing. They just made some nasty comments is all."

"What kind of comments?"

"Just that I'm a… you-know-what."

"Anything else?" He asks and Lily looks scared at his tone.

"They said that I should run back to my blood-traitor boyfriend because you're the only that can stand my stench." She tells him.

James feels rage course through him like he had never felt before. _How dare they make such comments to Lily? How dare they treat her that way? How dare they ruin what had been the best night of my life!_

Lily takes up his hand in both of hers. "James, honestly, it wasn't as big of a deal as you think it was. It was just words."

"Still, harsh words from your former best friend." He shoots back angrily.

"He didn't say anything. But, he didn't defend me either." She concedes. "He just stood in the back with Regulus and laughed. He looked at me the same way the others did though. As if I don't belong, like I'm scum."

James pulls her into his arms again, hugging her close. "Lily you are a hundred times better than any of those arseholes and they know it. They know that you're far more talented, far more intelligent, far better at magic then them and it makes them angry. Not saying that they aren't just prejudice little fucks, because they are."

He's so angry. He wants to find each of them and teach them a lesson, Snape especially. He has never liked Snape, but he can never forgive him for the way he treats Lily. He has to be the worst person James has ever met.

"Thank you." Lily says into his shoulder. "Thank you for being on my side and for not caring what people say about you because of it."

James chuckles. "There you go thanking me for odd things again." He jokes.

Lily laughs and he pulls back from her. "Why didn't you tell me, Lily?"

"Because I didn't think it mattered. I had nearly forgotten it by the time we got back to the common room. Then I came up here and I felt so safe in your bed, and I knew that you would be here soon. I was too distracted by worrying about you and when you would be back, then I fell asleep. When you got back, those Slytherins were the furthest thing from my mind. I was so glad that you were back and that you were relatively ok, and then you took your robes off and I was completely distracted." She smirks.

James gives another little chuckle, sure that she is joking now.

"Lily, I will always care about you and defend you. No matter what people say about you, or us, or me because of it. I love everything about you and I wouldn't change a single thing."

They fall into a contented silence for a moment before Lily sighs. "I should probably go downstairs and make an appearance. I'm sure Mary has alerted the whole house that I was missing." She hangs her head in her hands "Merlin, this is going to be humiliating."

"Take the cloak." He says reaching down to grab it for her. "You can sneak down to the common room and then back up to your dorm. Then come back down pretending like you were up there the whole time."

She smiles at him, relief evident on her face. "This dating a Marauder thing sure has its advantages."

"Not just any Marauder I hope!" He says in mock outrage.

She laughs as she kneels back on the bed for a second. She puts her hands on his chest and slowly pushes him back so he's lying down and she kisses him very softly, teasingly, before whispering in his ear. "No, dating James Potter has its advantages."

She makes to pull away, but he grabs her arm and pulls her back down to him for a proper kiss.

"You need to get some more sleep." She tells him, finally getting away.

He groans but he knows she is right. "Alright, but you better come find me later."

She stands and throws the cloak over herself and he hears the door close behind her. He sighs and rolls over onto his side.

_Best night of my life._

* * *

**A/N – ****Let me know what you think. I really enjoy the feedback.**

**Also, I really appreciate every review. Good or bad. First time or hundredth time.**

**I really like to know what people think about my writing. Everyone has their own opinion and are entitled to express it. If you don't like someone elses opinion, that's fine, but _please_ do not take it up with them in my review section. If you would be so kind as to only review the story, my writing, or me personally in the review section**** and take all other matters to PMing, I would really appreciate it. :-)**

**Thanks again to everyone.**

**Sorry if this offended anyone; I promise that was not my intention.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N – Here you go! :-)**

**As always,  
**_Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Letters and Notes will be in bold.**

* * *

Lily sneaks back up to her own dormitory under James' cloak. She feels so happy she's surprised her skin isn't actually glowing.

When she reenters the common room she hears Mary shriek. "Lily! There you are!"

Lily smirks at her friend and joins her, Beth, Sirius and Peter by the fire. "Nice cover up, Mary." Lily says sarcastically.

"Sirius said that James would make sure you got back to the dormitory without being noticed. How did he do it?" She asks.

"It's a Marauder thing." Lily shrugs and gives Sirius a wink.

"I'm going to go get some food. I'm starving. Then I was going to bring a tray up to James. He is going to try to get more sleep, he didn't get much last night." Lily says and then blushes furiously as she realizes what her words sound like.

Sirius whoops and slaps Peter on the back. Peter gives him an annoyed look as both Beth and Mary giggle.

"That is not what I mean at all. Honestly, nothing like what you are thinking." She says, her face going even redder.

"Yeah, I know. I was trying to listen but I couldn't hear anything." Sirius says sounding disappointed.

"Why would you try to listen?" Beth asks, confused.

Sirius shrugs. "It's a guy thing." Mary laughs at this.

"Did you try to listen too?" Lily asks Peter, extremely glad that James knows his friends so well.

"Nah, I was too tired."

Lily just shakes her head."Is breakfast over then?" She asks.

"Yes, it ended twenty minutes ago. But we'll go to the kitchens with you!" Mary suggests standing up.

Lily looks at Sirius. "You two coming as well?" She asks, hoping that they will so that Mary and Beth wouldn't be able to pester her with questions.

"Nope, we have somewhere else to be." He says and she nods.

_They must need to go see Remus. Let the questions begin._ Lily thinks as she exits through the portrait hole, Mary and Beth behind her.

"So, tell us what happened!" Mary says excitedly.

"Nothing happened." Lily lies.

"Oh come on Lily, we found you two in bed together!" She points out and a few of the portraits along the wall start to murmur in affronted tones.

"Shh!"

"Sorry." She says and lowers her voice. "But, come on. We know something happened. Why were you even up there?"

"You know that he and the others snuck into Hogsmeade last night. I was planning on staying up until they got back, but I was too tired. So, instead of sleeping in the common room, I went up to their dorm and fell asleep in his bed. When they got back he woke me up and asked if I wanted to just stay there with him instead of going back to my dorm. I did, so, he just climbed into bed with me and I fell asleep in his arms. It was very sweet." Lily says. Not completely a lie, but mostly.

Beth smiles. "That does sound sweet Lily, but we aren't buying it. Something else _had_ to happen. He didn't even try and kiss you?" She asks incredulous.

"Well of course he kissed me, he is my boyfriend." She concedes. _That will be enough to keep them at bay._

"What kind of kiss was it?" Mary pries excitedly. _Or maybe not._

"Was it a 'goodnight, pleasant dreams' sort of kiss or was it a 'I can't believe you are in my bed and our clothes are still on' kind of kiss?"

Lily laughs a little at this. Mary always knows how to ask the right questions. "I suppose it was a mixture." She had to give them a little something.

"I have always wondered if he is a good kisser." Beth gushes. "What was it like?"

Lily rolls her eyes. Her friends know that she and James have been snogging each other senseless at every opportunity for the last two or so months. So, for them to be suddenly interested in what it is like, is extremely transparent.

"It was like all our other kisses had been leading up to that one passionate kiss last night." She says sarcastically.

She knows they are just curious, but she doesn't want to share with them what had really happened. It had been a very special moment between her and James and it doesn't seem like something other people should know about.

"Come on, we mean it! Is that really all? Just a snog session before bed?" Mary asks, still unconvinced.

"Yes. He is so gentlemanly. He barely got his hand down my shirt before he pulled away, afraid that he was going too fast. He doesn't want to pressure me." She explains. _That will surely be enough for them._

"That is so gallant of him. Sometimes makes you wish you weren't dating a Gryffindor." Mary laughs and Beth joins in.

"What? Why would I wish that?" Lily asks, not understanding.

"Well," Mary begins, "Remember last year just before winter break when Beth dated Johnny? He didn't even snog her properly. But then she gets with her older man, who was a Ravenclaw, and BAM! A week into the relationship and he's already seen her naked."

"Hey!" Beth says in protest. "It was just a bit of innocent skinny dipping!"

"Yeah, but my point is that Gryffindor guys are too chivalrous for their own good sometimes. I mean, when you dated Selwyn his hand was inside your robes in the first two weeks and it took James two months."

_She's right. _Lily thinks. _He was so worried about not pressuring me that he wasn't picking up on my signals that I'm more than ready to pick up the pace. But, once I had gotten my point across, he definitely took charge. No one could call what he made me feel last night gallant. _She feels a wave of excitement rush through her at the memory.

"Yeah, but you don't understand how James' touches and kisses make me feel. Todd was so grabby. James is… different. He could take forever to get me naked if he felt like it." She says and then blushes furiously again as she realizes she has said all of this out loud.

"Oh yeah, something way more than snogging happened last night." Mary says.

"But we won't ask about it anymore." Beth adds in quickly and Mary nods.

"If you want to keep your secrets, you can." She agrees.

"Thank you." Lily says as she reaches up to tickle the pear.

"Miss Lily!" Dinky says and rushes over to her. "Dinky doesn't usually see you in here so early." He says bowing to her.

"Hi Dinky. These are James and my friends, Mary Macdonald and Beth Robins." She says introducing them and Dinky bows to them both. "I'm afraid that James and I missed breakfast. Could we have a tray of food to take back for us?" She asks.

"Of course, Miss Lily. Dinky will get it for you right away." He says and scampers off.

Dinky returns a moment later with a large tray of breakfast foods. The girls thank him and make their way back to their common room.

Lily takes the tray straight up to the boy's dormitory after making sure no one in the common room is paying any attention to her. She pauses outside The Marauder's door to listen. She can't hear anyone inside so she lets herself in. She hears water running in the bathroom and decides that James must be in the shower.

She sets the tray down on his bedside table and sits down on his bed to wait for him. She begins thinking about his naked torso in the shower. She loves the way his muscles feel as she runs her fingers over them. She shakes her head to try and rid it of the thoughts that had just appeared. _What is wrong with me?_ She thinks, picking up a piece of toast off the tray.

The water stops then and she hears James bustling around inside. _I hope he won't be upset with me for once again just barging into his dormitory any making myself at home._

The bathroom door opens and James steps out rubbing his hair with a small towel. He stops dead for a second and then grins widely. Lily's eyes travel from his grin down his body. He is naked except for the towel wrapped around his waist. She feels her breath catch.

_He looks so good shirtless. His muscles are just perfect. Not too big, just perfectly toned. He should walk around like this all the time. But, then, I would never be able to focus. Like now, what did he just say?_

"You know, I could get used to you appearing on my bed every time I walk into this room." He says with a chuckle.

She smiles."I brought you some breakfast, although it's almost lunchtime now."

He comes over to sit with her on the bed, mirroring her position, back against the headboard and legs spread out in front of him. He leans over and kisses her lightly before reaching for the food.

"Mm, thank you." He says and she gives his arms a squeeze as he hands her a bacon sandwich.

"Did you sleep well after I left?" She asks.

"Not really, I know it sounds strange but I felt like I was missing something." He says and shakes his head looking embarrassed.

_Why is he embarrassed?_

"Like what?" She asks.

He just shakes his head and looks at her. She meets his eyes and feels like he is trying to look right into her very soul.

"I meant what I said last night, Lily. I do love you." He says.

She loves hearing him say that.

"I know you do, James. I love you, too."

He flashes a grin at her again and she can't help but smile. _He looks so handsome when he smiles_. It feels so good to hear him say that he loves her and for her to say it back, like she is finally seeing straight. He is the only thing in the world that makes absolute sense to her now. _How have I never seen it before?_

"Well, it's only just noon now. Would you like to go for a walk around the lake or something?" He asks checking his watch. She chuckles.

"Have you even looked outside today, James? It's a blizzard out there. No way am I going for a walk."

"Oh, well then what would you like to do this afternoon?" He asks.

She grins as she replies. "I can think of a few things."

Lily sits up and swings her leg over his, effectively straddling him. His lips meet hers and his hands begin to travel up and down her back. They continue to snog and her hands make their slow decent towards the towel. She feels him quiver with anticipation and groan pleasurably at her touch.

She smiles wickedly and makes to untie the fluffy fabric so that her hands can explore him freely, when the dormitory door bangs open.

She jumps back, frightened by the sudden intrusion and James quickly throws the covers over himself to hide his erection. They both turn to the door and sees Sirius and Peter stomping in, apparently arguing.

"What are you two on about?" James asks irritably and she knows he too must be annoyed by their interruption.

Both boys turn to look at Lily and James, who are sitting on the bed, both breathing heavy, James shirtless with blankets over his lap.

"Bloody brilliant!" Peter bellows and marches into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Lily's eyes follow him and James asks what she is wondering. "What's got him upset?"

Sirius gives James a knowing look and says, "You know Wormy, he'll get over it in a few hours."

Lily looks over at James and is surprised to see the angry look on his face. "You know, I should really be getting that Charms essay done." She says sensing that this is unquestionably a Marauder thing.

"You'll come find me before dinner?" She asks James.

"Definitely." He assures her.

She stands up and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek, only to have him pull her back to him for a proper hug and kiss. "I'll see you later." He whispers in her ear.

"You better." She breathes in his ear. "I'm not finished with you yet." She adds, barely audible.

She laughs as she pulls away, hearing him groan.

"See ya, Padfoot." She says before closing the door behind her.

* * *

James watches Lily leave the room, head still swimming with her promise. _'I'm not finished with you yet.'_ The thought excites him.

He catches sight of Sirius staring at him. "Sorry, did you say something, mate? I was distracted." He admits.

"Well that's obvious, but did you hear what she called me?"

James tries to think, he hadn't heard anything after she whispered in his ear, too distracted to notice. _Did she call him something rude? They've been getting on so well lately, why would she be rude to him now?_

"No, what'd she call you?"

"Padfoot." Sirius says. James is a little shocked by this but as he catches Sirius expression he laughs.

"She really is here to stay isn't she?" Sirius asks.

"I sure hope so. I assume that's why Wormtail's all pissy."

Sirius nods. "He just says that he doesn't like her being around all the time. He says it's like she's taking his place."

"That's insane! How can he think that? Wormtail get out here!" He shouts and pulls his bath robe on over his towel.

"Is she gone?" Peter asks through the bathroom door. James rolls his eyes at Sirius.

"Yes, but I think we owe Prongs here, big time. Looks like we walked in on them getting pretty hot and heavy." Sirius heckles and James tosses a pillow at his head.

"Good." Peter says exiting the bathroom and sitting down on his bed.

"Good?" Sirius and James ask at the same time.

"Yeah, she doesn't need to be in here anyway." He says and James feels the anger boiling inside him.

"What's your problem? You've all had girls in here before, why can't I?" He demands.

"It's different."

"How?"

"I have only brought one girl in here and she spent the whole time asking questions about you and Padfoot. Moony only brings girls in here to study and Padfoot brings them in here to shag and then they leave. So, excuse me if I see Lily staying the night in our dorm and then bringing you breakfast in bed as a big difference from what the rest of us do." Peter shouts.

James feels his anger ebb as pity sinks in. "It's true, Lily is different from all that. But I don't see why it upsets you so much. She can never replace you, mate. You're a Marauder. Lily's just unfortunate enough to have a Marauder fall in love with her." He says with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

"See? That's the difference. Love. You are in 'love' with her, meaning you will be so busy with her that you will have less time for us. What happens when we get into it with the Slytherins?" He demands. "Who are you going to try and protect? Her or me?" He asks.

James is flabbergasted at his friend's anger. Peter is jealous of Lily because he thinks that James will care less about him now. That is some seriously messed up logic. James glances at Sirius who looks just as taken aback as he feels.

"Pete, I know you both can defend yourselves. Neither of you need protection." He says. "Remember the last time we had a run in with the Slytherins? You definitely got the better of them." He reminds him.

Peter smiles at the memory of Mulciber running away with a bloody nose. "I suppose that's true. I can defend myself." He says proudly.

"Exactly." James assures him.

"So, are you good now?" Sirius asks. Peter nods. "And you're alright with Lily?"

Peter nods again turning to James. "Sorry, Prongs."

"It's already forgotten, Wormy." He says.

"Good, cause I want to know what was going on up here before we came in." Sirius says turning on James.

James flushes at his words. That is something he doesn't feel like explaining. He wishes he would have thought to lock the door. He is exceptionally glad that neither of them had noticed that he had cast '_muffliato'_ last night. He really doesn't want them to know about that. That was something special between Lily and him. His hearts still swells with pride as he thinks about it.

"Nothing was happening." He lies. "We just ate some breakfast then did a bit of snogging is all."

"Yeah, that's why you both jumped about a giants stride when we opened the door. Just snogging." Sirius laughs sarcastically.

"Well, it was an excellent snog." He tells his friends. "Wait a moment and I'll get dressed and come see Moony with you."

-L-3-J-

They leave the Hospital Wing a few hours later so that James can meet up with Lily before dinner as promised.

"I have to go to the library." Peter mumbles and rushes off.

"What's he got to do at the library?" James asks trying to recall a time when Peter had ever gone to the library without one of them with him.

"Who knows, boy's a mystery. Do you think he really believes that Moony only studies with the girls he brings up to the dormitory?" Sirius asks incredulously.

James thinks back to their earlier conversation. He had let the odd statement go at the time, but now he sort of feels bad for Peter for not realizing what was truly going on. As far as any of them knew Peter had never gone beyond snogging. The few girls that he's dated have all broken it off after just a few weeks.

_Maybe that's why Wormy is so sour about Lily and me._

Is it wrong for James to flaunt his new love and amazing girlfriend? Probably. But he can't help it. He is just so happy.

"Well, if he thinks that Moony's just studying with those girls then he definitely believes that you and Lily were just snogging this morning."

James chuckles, knowing his friend is trying to get him to admit to what was really going on, but he won't. "He has no reason to doubt me, I have never had a girl up there before. But, Moony? I mean, doesn't he wonder why they need to study alone, in his bed, with the hangings closed?" James points out.

"You think we should tell him?"

"Nah, then he'll just feel even worse that he's the only one who hasn't had a girl in his bed."

"Good point that, but he still isn't the only virgin in the group so he can take com –" Sirius breaks off his sentence, turning to face James. "Unless he _is_ the only virgin left now?" He asks, jumping up and down with excitement. James hates the blush that comes to his cheeks.

Sirius had said goodbye to his virginity in the summer before fifth year and Remus' went the following winter. James had felt like he was missing something then, like he should hurry up and get it over with, to be on the same page as his friends. But he could never bring himself to do it. And now, with Lily, he feels like he could wait forever to get to that point.

"No, he isn't the only one left." James admits in a soft voice and Sirius looks disappointed.

"Ah well, it'll happen eventually, mate. Not everyone has the right stuff." He jokes and James gives him an awkward smile.

"It just means something to me, Padfoot. It means something to Lily as well."

"I know. I'm not judging you. At least you've been the scoring area. I doubt Wormy's ever even held the Quaffle." Sirius points out.

James laughs at his friend's crude analogy but thinks he is probably right.

"Maybe Wormy has a secret girlfriend that he meets up with in the library?" James suggests and both boys erupt in laughter at the possibility of that.

They're both still laughing when then enter the common room. James spots Lily sitting by the fire with Mary and Beth and he and Sirius head over to join them.

"Good day, ladies." Sirius says as he lounges in the arm-chair next to Mary.

"Had a good afternoon, I trust." James says as he sits next to Lily on the couch and gives her a kiss.

Mary and Beth begin to giggle incessantly again and James feels slightly self-conscious. _Were they talking about me?_

"Yes, we did." Lily tells him with a smile.

When Sirius starts talking about his date for this evening James takes Lily's hand in his own. "Want to do something after dinner tonight?" He asks. "A date or something?"

"Yes, I would like that very much."

After a few minutes of happy chatter the five of them make their way down to the Great Hall for dinner. They reach the Entrance Hall at the same time as Mulciber, Avery, Rosier and Regulus.

"This outta be fun." Mary groans.

James holds out his arm to stop them from walking forward. After the Slytherins disappear into the hall he turns to them.

"I just want one day where we don't have to deal with them." He says, shrugging and Lily wraps her arms around his.

"That sounds like an excellent idea to me." She says and they continue into the hall taking their usual place at the Gryffindor table.

Remus joins them about halfway through and takes his seat across from Lily.

"Where have you been all day?" Beth asks him.

"Oh I know!" Mary says excitedly.

James, Sirius, Peter and Remus all turn to look at her confused. _How can she know? How did she find out?_

"Remus has himself a girlfriend, don't you Rem?" She teases and James feels relief flood through him.

"Well, I –"

"Don't lie, Remus. We figured it out this afternoon." She says.

James looks at Lily confused and she just smiles and continues eating her dinner.

"Oh you did?" He asks.

"Yep. You see when Beth and I came into your dorm this morning to get James, we noticed that your bed looked like it hadn't been slept in. We thought that it was odd, and then we remembered that you four snuck into Hogsmeade. We asked Lily if she heard you come in last night and she said she didn't. So, we figured out that you have a girlfriend over in Hogsmeade and stayed with her last night while the others came back." She says, looking proud of herself, as if she had it all figured out.

James smiles to himself. It actually isn't the worst explanation he's heard as to why Remus is gone so often.

"You caught me." Remus says shaking his head in shame.

The girls begin to pester him for details about his secret girlfriend, when suddenly James drops his fork with a clatter. The others all stare at him confused, except for Lily who just smiles innocently at him.

"Thought I saw a ghost." He says to cover the awkward moment.

The others laugh at his joke, Lily especially. Because she knows that the real reason that he dropped his fork is her hand slowly creeping up his thigh, as if to remind him of the promise she had made earlier that day.

She removes her hand, but it is too late. He readjusts himself and stands, holding his hand out to Lily. They wave to their friends and tell them they'd see them later, before exiting the hall hand in hand. As soon as they reach the empty Entrance Hall James pulls her around to face him. She lets out a soft 'oh' of surprise and smiles as he begins to kiss her.

"Room of Requirement?" She whispers in his ear and they practically run there, stopping only to snog every other corridor.

They half turn, half stumble around a corner and James senses someone watching them. He looks up, freezing when he sees who stands at the end of the corridor.

Lily stops kissing his neck and turns around to see Snape walking towards them. James takes a step forward so that he is slightly blocking her from view. He stealthily reaches into his pocket to get a good grip on his wand, waiting for Snape to make the first move.

Snape stops a few meters away, staring at them in disgust. "Don't let me get in your way. Who am I to stop the sickest thing I've ever seen? Go ahead, Lily, snog his brains out right here in the corridor."

Lily doesn't move as she speaks. "Who I snog, and where I snog them, is none of your business, Snape."

"I wonder how long he'll stay with you after you give him what he wants." Snape says sneering at James.

James feels fury rip through his body. _How can he suggest that I'm just using Lily like that?_ He makes to pull his wand out but Lily places her hand on his arm to stay him.

"I wonder how many times you can kiss Mulciber's arse before your face is forever imprinted there." She shoots back and James smiles. She really knows how to dish it out.

"Does Potter give you a special treat every day for being his number one fan? Or do you just get shoved aside when the other members come to pay their dues?"

James, again, tries to whip out his wand. He hates this sneering, petty boy. He wants to jinx the slime off him. Lily places her hand over his arm again, this time leaving it there.

"You don't even know James, nor do you deserve to." She says and he can hear the anger in her voice.

Snape scoffs at this. "I know him and I know that you deserve better than him."

James can barely contain his rage. Lily's hand is the only thing keeping Snape from being unconscious.

"I deserve someone smart, funny, kind, brave, caring and loyal, someone who I can trust. James is all of that and so much more. He is good and is a hundred times the person that you've become."

James looks down at her and meets her eye as she pulls him around to face her. "Come on James, he isn't worth our time anymore." She says and leads him back around the corner.

James glances back to see Snape looking extremely angry. His irritation starts to fade the further they get from that piece of slime. Once they reach the Fat Lady's corridor he stops and pulls Lily around to face him.

"I want to make sure you're alright." He says, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Getting into a row with your former best friend can't be too pleasant for anyone." He points out.

"That wasn't my former best friend. I don't even know that person back there. It doesn't bother me to yell at him, he's just another prejudice Slytherin." She tells him.

James pulls her into a tight hug. "I want to make sure that you know that none of what he said is true, Lily. I don't think of you like that. You are the only girl I want to be with. The only person I want to hug or kiss or do anything with."

"I know, James." She says. "He was just trying to wind you up is all. He wanted to get a reaction out of you. Show you haven't changed."

James hangs his head. _He had proved that. I let my anger get the best of me. I guess I haven't changed. _"I'm sorry. I've been trying to change." He explains.

She puts her hand under his chin and lifts it lightly so that she can look him in the eyes. "Don't you see? You already have." She says.

"The old James wouldn't have let me hold him back. He would have hexed Snape into oblivion without thinking twice." She smiles. "And while I know you certainly could have, you didn't. You let me hold you back because you know deep down that he isn't worth it."

He smiles at her, not completely sure that was the reason. "Thank you." He says as she wraps her arms around his neck.

"I suppose the mood is good and ruined now?" She asks and James nods.

"Yeah, it is, but we have tons of homework to get out of the way. We can recreate the mood later." He says and they walk hand-in-hand back to the common room.

Sitting down with their books on one of the comfier couches, James wonders if he'll be able to convince her to stay in his bed again tonight. He doesn't think it will take too much persuasion.

* * *

Lily sits down to breakfast alone two weeks before the end of term. She is just finishing her toast when James slips into the seat next to her.

"Morning, love." He says kissing her on the forehead.

"Morning." She replies.

She is feeling slightly down this morning. She had written her mother last week asking what their plans for Christmas were this year, and hadn't received a reply back. She hopes that her mum hadn't forgotten about her when making their plans. Lily continues to dwell on it as James and Sirius chat about Sirius' birthday plans. She is sure they will sneak into Hogsmeade, yet again.

The post owls arrive then and Lily sees Oscar descending upon them along with Hamlet. She opens her letter immediately and begins reading.

_**Lily Belle,**_

_**Sorry we didn't write sooner, we thought you would have known. We'**__**re going to Petunia and Vernon's house in Little Winging for Christmas. I'**__**m sure she meant to invite you as well. Just send her a letter and ask her what time she wants you to arrive.**_

_**We all will understand, of course, if you would like to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas Holiday, as it is your last year.**_

_**Let me know what you decide so I will know where to send your presents.**_

_**Love,  
**__**Mum**_

Lily feels her heart fall in her chest. She knows Petunia wouldn't want her anywhere near her new perfect, normal life. Lily sighs as she sets the letter down.

"What's wrong, Lily?" James asks her looking concerned. "Are your parents alright?"

"Oh yes, they are fine. They are spending Christmas with Petunia and Vernon in Little Winging." She explains

"Oh, that sounds lovely. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful Christmas in Surrey." James assures her and kicks Sirius under the table for scoffing.

Lily shakes her head. "I'm not going. My mum says I have to write to Petunia directly if I want to come, but she said if I'd rather stay here for the holiday they would understand. So, I suppose I'll be staying here." Lily says and even to her, her voice sounds sad. She hates the idea of spending Christmas alone.

"No you won't." James says shaking his head and she looks round at him. "You're coming to our house for Christmas." He says and then his smile falters. "That is, if you want to."

"Oh James, I couldn't put your mum out like that."

"Nonsense, my mum has been practically begging me to invite you for weeks. Here look." He says and hands her the letter his mum had just sent him.

Lily reads it over quickly and sees that she mentions Lily no less than ten times throughout the letter. "I'd love it if you would join us for Christmas, Lily." He says.

_Of course James wouldn't let me spend Christmas alone. _She gives him a kiss.

"That sounds lovely. Thank you." She says and Sirius whoops.

"I love it when you stay with us, Lily. Mum is always so distracted by you that Prongs and I get away with loads of stuff she'd never let us do normally." He says and Lily laughs.

-J-3-L-

Lily had been right. For Sirius' Birthday this year The Marauders snuck into Hogsmeade to get drunk. Lily decides to stay in James' bed to makes sure that all four of them get back safe.

Around two in the morning she hears them enter the dormitory, not bothering to keep their voices down.

"Listen here Sirie, I know that I'm right about this!" James says.

"I don't know, Prods. I think I have a pretty good poinp." Remus hiccups, then trips over his own feet and falls to the ground.

The other three boys laugh riotously and Lily chuckles lightly, she loves seeing them like this.

"Yeah, I think he got you." Peter says still chuckling. He seems to be the least drunk of the bunch, but is still far from sober.

"What were you boys drinking?" Lily asks getting out of bed to come help them.

"Lily!" James shouts excitedly and tries to make his way towards her, but Remus sticks his leg out from the ground. James falls into a heap on top of him.

"Oh Merlin." She says, putting her hands on her hips.

"Tell him, Lily, tell him I'm right!" James says from the floor.

"What are you right about?" She asks, helping him up.

"Don't tell her, she'll think less of me!" Remus shouts.

Lily rolls her eyes. "I won't think less of you, Moony. What's going on?"

"Padfoot'll tell ya." Peter says collapsing on his bed.

Lily turns but doesn't see Sirius anywhere. "Where is Padfoot?" Lily asks.

No one answers her so she starts to panic. "Sirius?" She calls. _Oh no, did they leave him behind?_

"Sirius?" She calls out a little louder.

"BOO!" Sirius yells from behind her taking off the cloak.

Lily screams and jumps back into James. Remus and Sirius both begin to laugh uncontrollably and Sirius too falls to the ground.

James wraps his arms around her pulling her close to his chest. "I tried to tell him not to do it." He says. "But he took the cloak."

She can feel him silently chuckling and she scowls. "That was not funny." Lily says, staring at the two boys on the floor.

They both stop laughing. "It was Moony's idea!" Sirius says and points to him.

"Tattle-tail." Remus mocks.

Lily laughs again. She can't stay angry at them when they are like this.

"Ok boys, it's time for bed."

"Come on, Evans! It's my birthday!" Sirius protests.

"Fine, you can stay up as late as you want. But I won't be getting up again to help you when you pass out on the floor." She warns.

James chuckles and tightens his arms around her waist. "You can tuck me in whenever you're ready."

Lily can't help but laugh. She knows he is trying to be sexy, but he keeps slurring his words and isn't even able walk straight.

"Ok Casanova, let's get you in bed then." She says and leads him over to his four-poster. He kicks off his shoes and Lily helps him with his robes before collapses into bed. By the time she turns around both Remus and Sirius are missing.

"Where did they go?" Lily asks. She hears James mumble something into his bed covers, but she couldn't make it out. She pokes him and makes him roll over onto his back.

"Where did they go?" She asks him again.

He grins wickedly and pulls her down to him. He tries to kiss her but misses and kisses her chin instead. "James, we don't have time for this now. If Sirius and Remus try to sneak back into Hogsmeade as drunk as they are, they'll get caught."

James just chuckles. "If you kiss me, I'll tell you where they went." He promises. Lily rolls her eyes and gives him a peck.

"Awe Evans, give the bloke a proper kiss!" Sirius' voice comes from the other side of the bed.

"Dammit, Padfoot!" Lily yells.

All four boys erupt with laughter.

"I didn't think it would work twice, but it did!" He says, still not removing the cloak.

James laughs and Lily places her hands on her hips. "I'm never helping your drunk arses again." She says stubbornly and makes to turn away from them.

"Wait Lily!" James says, trying to stop her from leaving by hopping out of bed. He stumbles into Sirius' trunk and yet again falls to the floor.

"Oh bravo, Prongs." Remus says from under the cloak, next to where Sirius' voice had been moments ago.

"Are you ok?" Lily asks him sinking to the ground next to him, concerned. He hit his head hard. He groans and she leans down to him, hand in his. He whispers something but she couldn't hear him. "James?" She asks, leaning in closer still.

"Map." He says, lips barely moving.

Lily smiles. He is telling her to get the map so she can see where Sirius and Remus are. She leans down further so her lips are at his ear.

"Where is it?" She whispers and feels him nod towards his discarded robes. "Come on let's get you back to bed." She says, voice returning to normal.

"Only if you come with me." He says as he stands, swaying slightly but lets her lead him back to his four-poster.

She acts as if she is tidying up; picking up his robes from the floor, but really she is getting the map out. Pretending to get James a glass of water she unfolds the map and whispers. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

She locates the boy's dormitory and then looks around. According to the map both Sirius and Remus are standing near the bathroom door. Lily turns around quickly and nonverbally uses '_levicourpus'_ on them.

With two shouts of "Oy!", both Remus and Sirius were hanging upside-down in the air by their ankle. James and Peter laugh ridiculously from their beds.

Cursing madly, the two troublesome boys have no choice but to let Lily levitate them to their beds. Once they were hovering over them she lets them fall.

"Well played." Remus says as she shuts the curtains around his bed.

"Thank you. Mischief managed." She says wiping the map.

"The map!" Sirius shouts. "Thwarted by our own brilliance." He says before Lily closes his curtains as well.

"This isn't over, Evans!" Sirius shouts.

Lily chuckles and turns back to James' sees him already under the covers and holding them open for her to join him. She closes the hangings around his bed before climbing in next to him. He snuggles up close to her.

"You smell good." He says and she chuckles.

"Thank you."

"I missed you tonight." He tells her.

"I missed you, too."

"I'm glad you're here. When I wake up, remind me to kiss you."

"I will." She says.

He smiles and rests his head on her chest, falling asleep within seconds.

-J-3-L-

The last weekend of term finds Lily walking into Hogsmeade with Beth and Mary. They had decided to go into Hogsmeade separate from The Marauders. Lily still needs to do some last-minute Christmas shopping and she wants to give The Marauders some alone time to do, whatever it is that they do. They all met back up in the Three Broomsticks for a quick butterbeer before heading back to the castle.

"Will I be seeing you tonight?" James asks her as she and her friends get up to leave the pub.

"No, I'm staying with the girls tonight. It's been a long time since we had a proper girl's night." She explains and Sirius turns around to face her from the bar stool next to James.

"A girl's night?" He asks and Remus too turns around.

"Like with pillow fights?" He asks looking at Sirius excitedly.

James shakes his head in shame as Mary and Beth laugh.

"Yes, of course!" Mary says.

"In our knickers." Beth adds. Lily laughs as Peter turns around quickly as well. All three boys are almost salivating at the prospect.

"We might even practice kissing on each other!" Mary calls as she and Beth leave the pub. Lily follows them out after another goodbye kiss from James.

"Did you see his eyes? They were bugging out of his head." Mary laughs, referring to Sirius.

"Do they really think that is the type of stuff we do in our dormitory?" Beth asks.

"Oh yes." Lily tells them. "Last week Sirius asked me if we ever showered together."

"Doesn't James mind him asking you stuff like that?"

"He told him to stop picturing me in his fantasies, but I think he knows Sirius is just imagining women in general, not me in particular." They laugh and continue on their way to Gryffindor Tower.

-J-3-L-

Lily quite enjoyed the girl's night. They stayed up late chatting and laughing. They discussed everything under the sun. From Mary's newest boyfriend, to how James and Lily had said 'I love you' to each other for the first time. Lily is glad she finally told them the details of her and James' relationship. It's good to get an outsiders perspective. It also helped her ego when she saw their jealous looks as she explained how well James treats her.

The three girls are exhausted as they head down to breakfast the next morning. When they enter the common room it's to see The Marauders all waiting for them.

"Well?" Sirius asks excitedly, jumping up.

"What happened?" Remus asks following Sirius' lead.

Mary and Beth laugh and exit the common room with Sirius, Peter and Remus following along, begging for information.

Lily walks over to where James stands, leaning against the back of the couch. "You're not interested to know if we fulfilled any of your fantasies last night?" She asks, wrapping her arms around his neck. She is teasing him slightly, but there is actually some curiosity behind the question. She is interested to know if he feels the same way as his friends.

"Believe me love, all of my fantasies include you and I alone, not you without me." He says wrapping his arms around her waist pulling her into a kiss.

"Good to know." She says as he moves his kisses to her neck.

"We can make some of them come true right now if you want." He says and she giggles.

"It's a tempting offer, but we have to get to breakfast or we won't be eating anything but Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frogs for the rest of the day." She reminds him.

"I guess breakfast sounds alright as well." He concedes and intertwines his fingers with hers leading her down to the Great Hall.

* * *

**A/N – :-) Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! **

**The next Chapter, possibly even the next two, will be about the Christmas holidays. **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N – Christmas time at the Potter's! **

**As per usual,**  
_Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Letters and Notes will be in bold.**

* * *

The train ride back to London was very enjoyable for James and his friends. As the Hogwarts Express rolls to a stop at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, he levitates both his and Lily's trunks off the train. They say goodbye to their friends on the platform with hugs and James sends their trunks ahead of them. He holds out his hand to her, ready to disapparate.

"Lily?" He asks and she just stares at him, expressionless.

"What if your mum gets sick of me?" She asks. "What if I do something weird or I say something stupid and she thinks th –" Lily is cut off from her panicked rant by James kissing her.

"Lily, my mum loves you. You know she does. Don't worry, everything will be fine." He says and she smiles at him. "I'm so glad you decided to come." He says and leans down and kisses her again.

"Me too." She tells him.

They turn together on the spot and disapparate to James' house. They take off their cloaks in the Entrance Hall and hand them off to Tilly. His mother comes running up to meet them just as Sirius appears next to Lily.

"Lily!" She says and pulls her into a hug. "Welcome back, dear."

"Thank you for inviting me for Christmas, Mrs. Potter." Lily says hugging her back.

"Oh, of course, dear. I have been pestering Jamie to invite you for weeks, but he said you would probably want to spend the holidays with your family. Then he said they were going to visit your sister, and it all just seemed to work out, didn't it?" She says smiling. Lily returns the smile and James gives her an apologetic look, his mother can be quite overbearing at times.

"Oh no, it's ok mum, we know you are glad to see us too." Sirius says sarcastically.

"Shut it you." She says giving him a hug. "And, Jamie dear." She says hugging him as well.

"Dinner will be ready in half hour so you three might want to take your trunks up to your rooms and get settled in. Then after dinner Lily, I was hoping you would help me with the decorations this year. I would just love your opinion." She says.

James rolls his eyes but Lily beams at her. "Of course, Mrs. Potter. I'd love to help." Lily says with a warm smile.

Each year his mother picks a different theme for Christmas and all the decorations must fall within that theme. Last year was Phoenix Christmas the year before was Fairies, a few years before that was Pixies and so many others. He's certain that she will have thought of something extremely extravagant for Lily's first Christmas with them. Sirius' certainly had been.

"Well, I bet Tilly will be pleased." James says as they climb the stairs to the third floor.

"Why?" Lily asks.

"Because, she usually has to help with the decorations." Sirius chuckles. He has spent Christmas with the Potter's since his and James' second year. He used to tell his parents he was staying at school, but really come home with James.

"I don't mind, I love decorating for Christmas." Lily says with a smile.

James and Sirius exchange a glance. _Must be a girl thing._

Sirius continues on upstairs as James levitates Lily's trunk into her room for her before continuing on to his room. When he turns to go back out to the hall he sees Lily leaning against his door frame.

"Hi. Are you going to just stand there or would you like to come in properly?" He asks her teasingly.

She smiles and walks in. "Did I tell you I love my room?"

"I believe you mentioned it over the summer." She stands up tip toe to kiss him and he wraps his arms around her to lift her up to his lips.

He reluctantly breaks from the kiss a few moments later. "We should get down to dinner." He says but wishes he could just stay here and snog her all night.

-L-3-J-

After dinner James' mum drags them all into the grand living room to reveal this year's Christmas Theme.

James can't help but thing that everything looks very plain. Not a single fairy, phoenix or pixie. He had been sure that his mother would go all out for Lily. James looks at Sirius confused and sees him smiling. Then he looks at Lily and sees her eyes wide with shock.

"This year's theme is: Muggle Christmas!" His mum announces happily.

"Mrs. Potter, you didn't have to do this." Lily says sounding grateful.

"Nonsense dear, I have always wanted to do it and now I have the perfect opportunity. Plus, now I have you to help me make sure everything is accurate." She says.

James grins at his mother. He knows that she chose this particular theme to make Lily a little more comfortable spending Christmas away from her family, and he is grateful. Lily beams up at him and he gives her a little squeeze. He knows that this means more to her than she is letting on.

James' dad clears his throat. "Well, I uh, have some work, you know."

"Charles, don't make up excuses. If you want to go finish your book, just say so." His mum says and waves her hand at her husband, who smiles widely and leaves the room.

"Well, we are going to let you ladies have your decorating fun." James says and gives Lily a quick kiss on the cheek before he and Sirius leave the room.

Lily finds them in The Marauder Room hours later, playing chess.

"I just popped in to say good night. I'm exhausted." She tells them.

"Yeah, yeah, night." Sirius says, waving her away, concentrating hard on his next move. She laughs a little and James pulls her to him.

"Good night, love, pleasant dreams." He says, giving her a kiss.

They spend the week leading up to Christmas much the same way. Some nights Lily joins them and others Sirius retires early leaving Lily and James to use the time to their advantage and have a good snog session. James doesn't dare take it further. He doesn't want her to feel uncomfortable. He knows she's nervous that his parents would somehow find out.

-L-3-J-

James wakes Christmas morning the same way he has every Christmas.

"Get up mate!" Sirius says as he jumps on his bed. "Come on get your lazy arse out of bed!" He says and jumps down to avoid the pillow that James has just swung at him. James gets up and pulls his bath robe on and follows Sirius out into the hall.

James knocks lightly on Lily's door. "Lily?" He asks sweetly.

"Oh screw that!" Sirius says annoyed and pounds on her door. "Oy, Evans! Get up! It's Christmas!" He shouts.

James punches his friend on the shoulder and then laughs. His laughter dies as Lily opens the door pulling her robe on over her night-dress and giving them her beautiful smile.

"Happy Christmas, love."

"Happy Christmas." She says giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on! No time for that now!" Sirius says and hurries down the stairs.

"Why's he in such a rush?" Lily asks as they make their way down to the living room hand-in-hand.

"My dad has a rule that no one is allowed to touch any gifts until the whole family is present." James tells her and she nods in understanding.

"Finally!" Sirius says exasperatedly as James and Lily enter the living room. "I'll hand out the presents shall I?" He says.

They all have a wonderful time opening their gifts.

To James' surprise he receives a gift from Lily parents. "They didn't have to get me anything."

"They wanted to. My mum kept saying how excited she was." She says and nudges him.

He opens it up the perfectly wrapped present to see a beautiful mahogany frame. Inside is a picture of Lily and him dancing at Petunia's wedding. The picture is not moving, but he likes it that way. They aren't looking into the camera, but at each other, each smiling wide. Inscribed on the frame is:

**Lily and James  
1977**

"This is wonderful." He says showing it to her and she nods.

"It is." She agrees.

James realizes then what she is about to open. He sets down the frame carefully and turns to watch her. She picks up the small box he had wrapped himself. She grins at the untidy wrapping and he knows that she knows it's from him.

Inside is the gold, heart-shaped locket that he had made and engraved for her. "Oh, James, it's beautiful. I love it." She tells him and wraps her arms around him for a hug. He kisses her cheek and she gets up to go show his mother.

"James this is gorgeous, did you get this from Unlind?" She asks him.

"Yeah, he said he was happy to see another Potter in his shop."

James' father chuckles at that. "He should be happy. Our family alone has kept his business running for generations."

"Oh stop it, Charles." His mum says and James laughs.

Lily comes back over to sit with James on their love seat. "Help me put it on?" She asks him.

"Did you open it yet?" He asks. She shakes her head and opens the locket. He waits with bated breath as she reads what he had written. He hopes that she won't find it too soppy and that she will understand the meaning.

**7 August 1977  
1 October 1977  
26 November 1977**

She looks over at him and it looks like she has tears in her eyes. He knows that she understands that these are the dates of their first kiss, their first date and the first time they said 'I love you'.

"I'm hoping that I'll be able to add more dates." He says.

"You have to be the most romantic man on the planet." She says in a whisper.

He gives her a quick kiss and helps her put the necklace on before they return to opening their gifts.

"Wow Lily! How did you get this?" James asks her as he unrolls the autographed poster of the England National Quidditch Team.

"I have my ways." She says playfully.

The rest of the day passes happily. James and Sirius start a snowball fight with their father as Lily helps Mrs. Potter and Tilly make dinner. They sit at the table for what seems like hours, opening crackers, eating, drinking eggnog and chatting. Sirius and Mr. Potter switch to firewhisky after a while and drink copiously. When Sirius passes out on the table Mrs. Potter calls it a night.

"Come on Charles, let Jamie put his brother to bed and let's get some rest." She says holding her hand out to her husband.

"Right you are, Martha my dear." He says and stumbles his way to their bedroom.

James knows his parents will be asleep within minutes. It is far after their usual bedtime on Christmas. They will be exhausted tomorrow when they wake to go shopping for Boxing Day. He stands and waits for Lily to link her arm with his before levitating Sirius up the stairs in front of them. After making sure Sirius is safely in his bed, they go back down to their floor.

James kisses her goodnight and wishes her a 'Happy Christmas' yet again before retiring to his own room.

-L-3-J-

After a half hour of tossing and turning in his bed, James decides to grab himself a cup of cocoa to ease his mind. He isn't sure why he can't sleep, but he suspects it's the beautiful woman asleep one room over that is distracting him so. He doesn't bother with his bath robe, figuring no one would be awake anyway, and he leaves his room in just his pajama bottoms.

He only takes one step into the hall before he sees Lily's door open. She steps out into the corridor in front of him and James can't help but notice that she didn't bother with her robe either.

"I was just going to get a cup of cocoa." He says gesturing to the stairs.

"Me too." She tells him as his eyes travel over her short night-dress. It just barely covers her thighs and shows off quite a bit of cleavage. James can't seem to stop himself from imagining running his hand up the smooth skin.

He tries to pull himself from these thoughts, suddenly regretting not wearing his robe. His pajama bottoms fit quite snugly, he's sure she'll be able to see the ever growing bulge in his pants. He hears her sigh softly and he looks up to see her eyes roaming over his chest and down to his pajama bottoms. She leans ever so slightly forward and James can't hold back any longer. He closes the distance between them in two strides, tangling his hands in her hair as he kisses her passionately.

As the kiss deepens, his hands leave her hair to travel down her back. He cups her bum and lifts her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. He backs her up into the wall, lips never leaving each other's. He uses one hand to hold her up and the other to hold her neck as he kisses her fervently.

"James?" She half asks, half moans, as his kisses move to her neck.

"Mm?" Is the only response he can manage.

"Your room, let's go to your room." She says breathing heavily.

His lips find hers again as he carries her into his bedroom. He kicks the door closed behind them and sits her gently down on the bed. Slowly he lays her down, kissing her first on the lips, then the neck, then the collar-bone. He pulls the straps of her night-dress down and smiles at the new flesh appearing for him to kiss.

"James." She pleas when he has completely discarded her night-dress.

He loves the way his name sounds in her voice. The way her lips look as it slips from them. It's sensual and enticing and just so damn erotic. He hooks his finger inside her cotton knickers and pulls them down slowly. He wants to watch her face trough every step. It's his favorite part.

He leans back on his legs to look at her. It's the first time that he's ever seen her laid out in front of him like this. Usually they're in his cramped four-poster or somewhere throughout the castle where he can never fully appreciate her. He takes her in, centimeter by centimeter, committing ever single part of her into his memory.

To him, this is… well, _she_ is perfection.

She squirms under his scrutiny, looking self-conscious. "Stop staring!" She scolds and he chuckles.

"Sorry love, you are just so damn beautiful." He tells her and moves to hover above her, kissing her deeply.

Her hands travel down his chest and hook into the waistline of his pajamas. Realizing her intent, he kicks them off hastily. She pulls his head back down to her.

"James, I want you to make love to me." She whispers into his ear and a jolt of pleasure shoots through his whole body at her words.

James pulls back to look at her. "Lily?" He asks, unable to believe he had heard her right.

"Please, James."

"Are you sure?"

She nods her head, and that his all the convincing he needs.

It was clumsy and sloppy and slightly painful at first, on Lily's part, but it was beautiful. Once they both got the hang of it, they moved together in perfect harmony.

When they're both spent from the pleasure that neither of them had ever experienced before, James collapses next to her on the bed, completely euphoric.

"I love you so much." He whispers in her ear and she turns to face him, their noses grazing.

"I love you, too." She tells him and he kisses her tenderly.

"Thank you." She says and he chuckles. He loves when she thanks him for giving her orgasms.

"Are you ok?" He asks concernedly. They had both been caught up in the heat and passion of the moment. He hadn't really given her much time to think about what they were doing.

"I'm better than ok." She tells him, grinning. "You truly made this the perfect night."

His eyes rove over her in concern. "Honestly, James. I wanted this just as much as you did, if not more." She tells him.

"That is very doubtful." He says with a laugh.

She giggles and then whispers. "I thought your fingers and mouth could work wonders."

He laughs lightly at this. "Right back at you." He says, remembering some extremely wonderful nights in the past month.

"I mean it. That was… I didn't think it would be like that." She says.

"Lily, if you don't stop talking like this you're going to get me going again." He teases, only half kidding for he can feel himself starting to get aroused again.

"That's not the worst thing in the world." She says, but laughs too. They are both too exhausted to have another go at it tonight.

"James, I need to tell you something." She says looking self-conscious.

_Oh, please don't let it be something bad._ He thinks panicking. He doesn't want anything to ruin what has just been the best night of his life. "You can tell me anything, Lily."

"I, uh, have been taking a contraceptive potion for the last two weeks." She says looking extremely embarrassed. "I just didn't want you to start worrying or anything." She says.

James smiles at her warmly. _We really are on the same page about everything_.

"Lily, you didn't have to worry about that. I've been taking the potion for a month now. Did you really think I'd be so careless with you?" He asks, a little sad that she thinks so little of him.

"No. Oh no, James, not at all. I just wanted you to know that this wasn't some heat of the moment thing for me. That was my way of telling you that I was ready for this, that I wanted it." She explains and he feels his heart filling with joy.

"I love you, Lily." He says and kisses her again.

"I know." She says, still smiling.

"I'm sorry, though, that you had to go suffer through one of Pomfrey's talks when you didn't have to. I know they can be mortifying." He says tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I didn't. I actually have been brewing the potion secretly in my dormitory since the end of fifth year. For Mary, ya know, and then Beth." Lily explains and James looks at her shocked.

"Why, Miss Evans, I'm surprised at you. That's breaking at least twenty school rules."

She grins at him. "Someone must have rubbed off on me."

"Not me certainly." He says innocently.

"Come on, don't play innocent, you four must have been doing the same thing."

James shakes his head. "We have not. Pomfrey actually shoved the potions at us one day when were up there after a full moon in fifth year. She gave us a long embarrassing speech and said that if any student needed those potions, it would be us. You'd think she didn't want us reproducing or something." He chuckles and Lily laughs too.

"Can you blame her? You four are in the Hospital Wing more than all of the other seventh years combined." She says laughing.

He loves it when she laughs. Her whole face lights up and her eyes shine bright. He can't help but kiss her. "You are perfect."

"You aren't so bad yourself." She says and he chuckles. She grabs his arm and groans.

"It's nearly two." She says showing him his watch. "I better get back to my room before anyone notices I'm gone." She makes to sit up but James grabs her around the waist and pulls her back into him.

"You aren't going anywhere." He whispers in her ear.

"I have to go. I don't think it would go over too well with anyone if I was found naked, in bed with you." She reasons.

"It would with Padfoot." James says jokingly, and seeing her expression he tries again. "My parents are going into Diagon Alley early for Boxing Day. In fact, they should be leaving in about an hour." He tells her.

"They won't check on us because my mum feels guilty for not inviting us. She likes to do her shopping alone, you see. Dad sits in the Leaky Cauldron with the other husbands and watches the bags. They have lunch with some friends and spend the evening catching up. They don't get home until after dinner and bring lavish gifts for Padfoot and me, as their apologies for excluding us." He says and Lily laughs.

"And Padfoot," James continues, "wakes up with them and says he's going to his Uncle Alphard's house, but really he goes down into the Muggle town and finds a pretty girl to help with her shopping. He makes plans with her to meet up at a bar later that night. Then he really does go and visit Alphard before coming back, meeting up with the girl and shagging her until the wee hours of the morning." James explains with another chuckle. He loves tradition.

"And your parents don't mind him coming in so late?"

"They don't know about it really. They never hear him come in. He may even stay out all night this year. Now that he has the motorbike he's got women all over him in that Muggle pub."

Lily grins at him. "Well, that's good. I really didn't feel like sleeping alone tonight." She says snuggling into him.

He kisses her forehead. "I didn't want to sleep without you."

She rests her head against shoulder, both falling silent. Soon he hears her shallow breaths and knows she's fallen asleep.

_Best. Christmas. Ever._

* * *

Lily wakes before James on Boxing Day. She can see his watch from where her head lies on his chest. It's nearly ten. _He was right. No one came to check on us._

She can hear his slow steady breaths and she smiles. She lifts herself slowly out of bed so as not to wake him. He stirs slightly and rolls over onto his side, still asleep. She looks around for her night-dress but she can't locate it

_Where did he toss it?_ She wonders as she pulls on his bath robe.

Lily heads downstairs planning to make James breakfast in bed. As she passes the mirror in the entrance hall it shouts at her, "Comb your hair young lady!"

Lily turns back to check her reflection and laughs. Her hair is all tangled and messy from James running his hands through it the night before. She chuckles again as thinks of Mary and how she would call it 'sex hair'. She wouldn't be more right. Lily smooth's it out before continuing on into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Miss Lily." Tilly says as she enters the kitchen.

"Good morning, Tilly."

"Tilly was just putting you and Master James' breakfasts on warmers. Tilly wasn't sure when you would be up."

"Thanks, Tilly." Lily says with a smile. "I was thinking I'd take James breakfast in bed, if that is alright with you." She asks.

"Tilly doesn't mind Miss Lily, but she does wonder… Master James usually lets Tilly have Boxing Day off. He tells her she can leave as long as she comes back before the next morning." Tilly says twisting her fingers nervously. "As if Tilly wouldn't want to come back, she lives to serve the Potter house."

"Of course, Tilly. I'm sure James would be alright with you taking the day off. Have fun." Lily says picking up the tray of food.

"Oh thank you, Miss Lily!" Tilly says bowing out of the kitchen happily.

Lily smiles as she walks back upstairs. Even Tilly would be out of the house for the day. Lily is really starting to like Boxing Day.

She opens James' door silently and sets the tray down on his desk. She gets back into bed next to him and kisses him lightly. She pulls back to see his hazel eyes blinking at her.

"Mm, what a pleasant sight to wake up to." He grins and makes to wrap his arms around her. "Oy, who said you could put clothes on." He jokes. She chuckles and gives him a kiss.

"I went down to get us breakfast. I wasn't going to walk through the house naked." She explains.

"No, I suppose not, but breakfast in bed? You're amazing." He says appreciatively. Lily makes to get up to get the tray for them. "Where do you think you're going?" James asks pulling her back to him.

She smiles. She likes the idea that he doesn't want her going anywhere. "Just to grab the food." She tells him.

"Silly, Lily." He teases. He grabs his glasses and wand off the bedside table and summons the tray to them.

"Fine, do it the magical way." She says and begins to eat the piece of bacon he hands her.

She tells him all about what Boxing Day used to be like for her before she knew that she is a witch. Then she tells him what it's been like the last few years. She smiles at James. He really listens to her stories, asking questions and making comments.

When she gets done telling him the story of how she and Mary and Beth had met secretly in Diagon Alley the previous year to shop and how they'd all gotten in trouble for sneaking out, he shakes his head at her. "I'll never understand a woman's need to shop."

"Something's are the same in both worlds." She tells him wisely. He laughs and banishes the tray away. She leans into his chest as he wraps his arm around her.

_Some things are the same in both worlds, but this is not one of them._

She has never felt this way before. She has never felt this content, this loved, this safe before in her entire life. Not even when she was a child. This is where she belongs. In this world. In James' arms. She knows that there is one true place she wants to be forever, with James.

* * *

James feels as if he can't be happier, laying here with the woman he loves in his arms. He listens to the way she talks about the Muggle world, her other life. "Do you miss it?" He asks and she turns her head to look him in the eye.

"No." She says simply. "I miss my family, and how close we used to be, but I think I always knew I never truly belonged there. Even when I was a kid, Petunia was my only friend. The other kids thought I was strange. Then when I found out about this world, I finally figured it out. I belong here, where I fit in, where people understand me. Where you are." She says.

He smiles and leans down to kiss her. They're completely in sync now it seems. He knows that she too can feel the same life altering love. The moment he heard her say his name last night, in passion and in pleasure, he knew she would be his wife someday.

They sit together on his bed and talk, snog, and fool around for hours. Time doesn't seem to matter much while they are together like this.

"I wish this day would never end." She tells him.

James smiles into her hair. "Me too."

He looks at his watch and sees that it is nearly four in the afternoon. He figures they should get up and at least get some food because she's dangerously close to getting ravished by him again. "What do you say we get clean up and have some dinner?" He asks her. "You must be starving considering the workout you've given me today." He chuckles as pushes him playfully.

"That sounds good, meet me in The Marauder room when you're ready." She says and makes to get off the bed, but he grabs her wrist and pulls her in for another kiss.

Once she leaves the room he gets up out of bed for the first time that day. He showers and gets himself cleaned up quickly, deciding that he wants to make Lily a romantic dinner.

A half hour later, James steps back and admires his handy work. He has put together quite a beautiful romantic dinner. He lights the candles on the table and conjures up a bouquet of beautiful white lilies before heading upstairs to fetch his Lily.

He opens the door to The Marauder Room to see her sitting on one of the couches staring down into her lap looking extremely sad. _Is she regretting what happened now?_ _Does she think it was a mistake?_

He approaches her cautiously and notices the necklace he'd given her in her hands. _That can't be a good sign._ He thinks and he feels his heart sink. _Has she finally had enough of me? Did I push her too far last night?_

"Lily, what's wrong?" He asks tentatively, sitting next to her on the couch.

"I took it off when I got in the shower, and then I couldn't get the clasp back open… I think I broke it." She admits, showing him the locket.

"Why did you take it off?" He asks sadly, thinking the worst is coming. "Do you not like it? Or do you not want to wear it? You don't have to." He tells her quickly.

"No!" She protests. "I love it!"

"Lily, it's ok. I understand." He says trying not to let his hurt and disappointment show.

"No, you don't! I was afraid you'd think that, when that's not it at all. I took it off because I didn't want my hair to get tangled in it while I was in the shower and then when I got out I couldn't figure out how to work the clasp." She explains. Her panic and desperation to make him understand are making her words almost incoherent.

"I can show you how to work the clasp." He tells her. "It's a security measure. Only the owner can take it off and only the owner knows the spell to open the clasp. That way no one can steal it and try to wear it, you see. Only, I forgot to teach you the spell." He tells her sheepishly. He had never thought she'd need to use the spell.

She looks up at him relieved. "So, I didn't break it?"

"Of course not. It's goblin forged gold, Lily. You couldn't break it if you tried." He explains. "Please don't try." He adds quickly, trying to relieve the tension and hopefully some of her worry.

"Goblin forged?" She asks him looking astonished.

"Yes." He says, not understanding why she looks so shocked. "And, it has all the standard spells on it. So, it won't tangle in your hair or need cleaning or anything. Don't worry."

"I feel so foolish now. I should have realized that if it didn't get tangled in my hair last night, it wouldn't have done in the shower."

"You aren't foolish, love. You just didn't know. I don't expect you've ever owned goblin jewelry before."

"No, I haven't."

"Ask my mum about it, she'll explain. All her jewelry is goblin made too." He tells her. He's relieved that this is nothing more than a misunderstanding. "Here, I'll teach you the spell." He says raising his wand and showing her the complicated wand movement.

"I won't need it now though. I'm never taking it off again." She promises and leans in to give him a kiss.

"Well, I'll need to take back to Unlind next week sometime." He says as he once again places it around her neck.

"Why?" She asks.

"I need to add another date to the inscription." He tells her, as if it's obvious. She grins broadly at him, knowing exactly what he means. "Now, let's get you downstairs. I've made us dinner."

"You made dinner?" She asks in surprise but lets him cover her eyes as he guides her downstairs. He lets his hands fall as they enter the dining room and hears her intake of breath.

"Every time I think you can't get more romantic, you do." She says turning to him a look of sheer delight on her face. He smiles broadly at her, proud of himself and pulls out her chair for her to sit.

James serves her first and then stands at her side to get her reaction. He has never really cooked before. His mother, Tilly, or the Hogwarts House Elves have always provided his sustenance. "Mmm." She says as she takes the first bite. "Delicious."

"Really?" James asks shocked.

"Yes, it is so –" She breaks off and her face falls. "Sorry, I can't lie to you. It's dreadful." She admits looking sad. James face falls and she laughs. "It's ok, cooking just isn't your strong suit. You more than make up for it in other aspects." She says.

James smiles at her wryly, sure she is teasing him now. "I just really wanted to make you a nice romantic dinner."

"Well you did, and the fact that you did all this is the most romantic part. But I think maybe I should whip us something up." She suggests and stands. James follows her into the kitchen and watches as she magic's pots and pans to fly around the room. He has no idea how she knew where they were. He couldn't even find the spoons. He sits on a stool and watches. She looks so sexy while she cooks.

"What can I do to help?" He asks.

"You can mash the potatoes." She tells him but refuses to let him near any of the other food. Soon she has a full meal prepared and they are back to the romantic table.

"Mmm, this is what chicken SHOULD taste like." He says and she laughs. "You're a wonderful cook, Lily." He tells her.

"Thank you, it's all your mum's doing really."

He smiles as fills his plate with second helpings of everything. "Don't tell my mum I told you this, but I think you may be even better than she is."

"I won't tell, I promise." She says with a smile. "I honestly have learned loads from her. It's strange, but I feel like she is training me somehow."

"I think she feels like it's her duty, you know since your mum can't teach you these things, she feels like she must."

"She's so wonderful."

"She feels the same about you, dad too. He told me that if I ever hurt you, they would take your side." He says with a smirk.

Lily smiles at this but grabs his hand. "That'll never happen."

He leans forward to give her a kiss. "You're bloody right it won't. You have a permanent place in my heart, Lily. Hurting you is like hurting me."

"How did I get so lucky to find such a wonderful bloke to fall in love with?" She poses to herself more than to James. He feels his heart swell at her words.

"I think the real question is; how did I get so lucky as to convince such a wonderful witch to even give me a chance?" He counters.

She squeezes his hand and makes to stand up. "I should start clearing up."

"Don't you dare!" He says and quickly collects all the dishes from the table. "You had to cook, the least I can do is clean up."

"But I –"

"No arguments. You just finish up your wine." He says and points to her glass in front of her. He levitates the dishes to the sink and charms the rag to start on them as he works on the pots and pans.

When all the dishes are spotless he turns to see Lily leaning against the door frame, watching him. He walks over to her and wraps his arms around her waist. "What would you like to do now?" He asks her as she wraps her arms around his neck.

"When will your parents be back?" She asks.

"Well it's only just seven now so I'd say we have a good two hours or so." He informs her.

"Well, I can think of a few things I would like to do in that time." She whispers and pulls him down for a kiss.

-L-3-J-

Nine o'clock finds Lily and James embracing under the covers of her bed.

"I think I found my new favorite hobby." She says.

He laughs. "Sure beats flying." He agrees and then groans as he hears the faint ringing noise coming from his bedroom.

"What is that?" Lily asks looking around alarmed.

"It means my parents are home. Sirius and I both have one in our rooms. It's enchanted to go off whenever either one of my parents come home. Kept us from getting into a lot of trouble over the years I'll tell ya." He says and she giggles. "But we better get dressed. I don't think it would be good for them to find us this way." He says and gets up to pull his pants on.

After he is dressed, he looks over to Lily who is straightening her hair in the mirror. He walks up behind her and runs his fingers through her dark red locks. It is so soft and smells so tempting he can't help himself. "Don't mess it up again!" Lily warns him.

"I think it looked perfect before." He tells her.

"Well I don't think your mother would approve of my sex hair." She says turning around to face him as he laughs at the term.

"My hair is just as messy as yours was and you don't see me fussing."

She lifts her hands up and runs them through his hair. "That's because you always look like you have sex hair. It's why your hair is so sexy." She says. James smirks and leans down to kiss her but she dodges. "No time for that now. We have to go greet your parents." She says and he chuckles as she grabs his hand and leads him from the room.

They enter the lounge where his father is pouring himself a drink and his mother is searching through piles of bags. "Oh hello dears!" She calls when she sees them. "Come sit down, I have gifts for you both." James gives Lily an 'I told you so' look before they take their spot on one of the love seats.

"So what did you two love birds do today?" His father asks from the bar. James grins at Lily.

"We gave Tilly the day off again and I gave Lily quite an exercise -" He says and smirks at Lily. "In the ball room. We danced almost all day." He adds after only a second's hesitation. His parents noticed nothing.

"Definitely a good workout. Then he tried to make a romantic dinner. But, I'm sad to say he's not that great of a cook. He really knows what he is doing with the dancing, but the cooking, not so much." Lily says with an imperceptible wink at James, understanding what 'dancing' stands for in this conversation.

Mrs. Potter laughs and straightens back up. "He would never let me teach him how to cook." She says looking sad. "But a few years back he finally let me teach him how to dance." She smiles and Lily laughs. He knows she too is grateful his mother didn't pick up on the double meaning.

"Well anyway, here you go, Jamie dear. I knew you would love this." She says and hands him a large bag from Quality Quidditch Supplies. James opens the bag to see a brand new broomstick.

"Mum! This is the Nimbus 1001!" He says excitedly. "It's the newest model!"

"That's what the man told me." His mum says looking pleased.

"Wow. Thanks mum, this is fantastic." He says and stands to hug her.

"Yes, yes, you are welcome, now let's get to the fun stuff." She says and levitates a large pile of bags over in front of Lily. "These are all yours, dear. I couldn't decide on just one thing." James watches as Lily's eyes widen in amazement.

"Mrs. Potter, you really didn't –"

"Nonsense dear, I love buying things from my kids and I never get to buy anything girly. It was smashing. Go on, open them!" She says excitedly. Lily smiles and thanks her as she starts to open the bags. When Lily opens a bag with a pair of silver dress robes inside it she squeals delightedly.

"Oh Mrs. Potter, they're gorgeous. Look James! Feel how silky?" She says excitedly holding them out to him. He feels them. They are silky.

"Uh, yes. Very pretty." He comments, this isn't his area of expertise.

Once they get to talking about the different fabrics for dress robes, he's had enough and goes to join his father at the bar. He sits down on one of the stools and pours himself a glass of mead.

"Women." His father mutters and James laughs. "I'm glad she finally has someone to jabber on with though. If I have to hear the difference between Madam Malkin's and Gladrags on more time, I'll go mad." He says and James chuckles.

"But in all honesty son, you chose well. She really is a brilliant girl." James beams as his father claps him on his shoulder and turns to watch Lily and his mother chatting animatedly.

Sirius walks into the room looking rather sulky. "Awfully early for you on Boxing Day isn't it mate?" James asks and Sirius laughs.

"Uncle Alphard didn't want to stay up late again tonight, says he has an early day tomorrow." He says and then greets the women before taking a seat next to James at the bar. "I'll explain later." He whispers lowly so only James could hear.

"Sirie darling, this bag here is for you." Their mum says pointing to a large bag. Sirius walks over to her taking the bag and unwrapping two new bike helmets and several new mechanical books on cars. James smirks at his friend.

"I noticed that you and Jamie weren't wearing helmets the other day when you came home from riding. The man in the Muggle shop told me that was illegal, so I bought you two. And look through those books and let us know if anything strikes your fancy. We can take you into Muggle London before the new term if you'd like." She tells him.

"Thanks mum, this is really cool." Sirius says pursuing the book before heading back to the bar. "I can't wait to show Moony at the party, he's going to be so jealous." Sirius says to James.

"Which reminds me, Lily dear." His mum says turning back to Lily. "I think you should wear the new dress robes to the party. They will look smashing with the decorations." She gushes.

Then they are off again, discussing all the different party details. James pours Lily a glass of her favorite wine and takes it to her. "Here you go, love."

"Thank you." She says giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back to his mum.

James returns to the bar and he, Sirius and their father enjoyed a healthy Quidditch debate. Around eleven their parents head off to bed and James joins Lily on the love seat again and Sirius spreads out on the couch.

"So mate," James asks as Lily leans into him. "Why are you really back so early?"

"I met this bird named Lucy at five in the morning and helped her do her shopping. And she was really smart." Sirius says and gestures to the fact that she had large breasts. Lily snorts with derision but Sirius continues. "I told her to meet up with me later and I got on my bike, getting ready to head into to London to meet up with Uncle Al. But before I got out of the village I saw Theresa. And she was stunning. I'm talking sex appeal oozing from every orifice. So, I told her to meet up with me two hours after I was supposed to meet with Lucy, different pub, opposite end of town, nothing could go wrong right?" James chuckles and Lily snorts.

"Well, what do you know? Theresa works at the bar I met up with Lucy at. A few slaps and a drink to the face later I found myself alone, so, I decided to come home. No need to stick around when they're already onto me." James and Lily both laugh at this.

"Glad to see you finally got your piece of humble pie, Padfoot." Lily says. James laughs again and holds out his arm to block the pillow that Sirius just tossed at Lily. After a lot more laughing James yawns wide.

"I'm tired too." Lily says snuggling in closer to him.

"Why are you two so tired? You had a lie in."

James looks down at Lily and smirks. "Dancing. She exhausted me with her dancing skills."

Lily laughs and stands, holding her hand out to him. "Come on, take me to bed before I fall asleep on the couch."

"Dancing my arse." Sirius says under his breath as they leave the room. "More like the horizontal dance." They laugh but don't respond as the climb the stairs to the third floor.

James walks Lily to her door arm around her waist. "Would you like to stay with me tonight?" She asks him. James debates for a second, he would love to stay with her, but he's exhausted.

"Do you mind if we just sleep? I can barely keep my eyes open." He says hoping she won't be offended.

"That sounds good to me." She says and he gives her a swift kiss before following her into her bedroom.

They get into their night-clothes and climb into bed. He feels her warm body relax into him and he feels perfectly content. They fall asleep within seconds.

* * *

**A/N – Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Suggestions? I love all feedback. **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N – And the rest of the holiday's. :-)**

* * *

Lily wakes as she feels James climbing out of bed the next morning. She stirs lightly and looks up at him.

"Morning, love." He says. "I need to get back to my room before anyone else wakes up. I'll see you in a few hours for breakfast." He says pulling on his bathrobe and leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Lily doesn't sleep well after he goes back to his room. Her bed feels cold and empty somehow. After an hour or so of tossing and turning she gets up to go downstairs to help James' mum with breakfast, taking the new apron she had gotten from Mrs. Potter for Christmas, with her.

"Morning, Mrs. Potter." Lily says upon entering the kitchen.

"Come now Lily, I think we know each other well enough now, no need to be so formal. You can call me mum or even Martha if you want."

"Ok, mum." Lily says with a smile. It feels for her strange to call someone besides her own mother mum, but it also seems so right. James' mum really is like her wizarding world mum.

She beams at Lily and says. "Thank you, dear." And pulls her into a hug.

_I love this place._ "Can I help with anything?" She asks.

"Of course dear, you get started on the bacon while I finish up the eggs."

James and Sirius arrive in the kitchen together. "Morning, love." He says again and gives her a kiss.

After breakfast Lily and James bundle up and head out onto the Potter's Quidditch Pitch so that James can try out his new broom. Lily sits in the small stands and watches as he flies around. She loves how he looks, so carefree and excited, as he darts around the sky. He lands next to her and she gives him some applause.

"Excellent flying." She tells him.

"Let me take you for a ride." He suggests. Lily thinks about it for a minute, deliberating. She had never been much of flyer. She doesn't have the right stuff for it, but she knows James would never let anything happen to her.

"Alright. But go slowly and don't get too far off the ground." She instructs and he smiles.

James holds the broom steady and pulls her on in front of him. He reaches his arms around her, holding her tight and the broom slowly begins to rise. Lily sinks in to him, scared to watch. James places a kiss on her neck. "Open your eyes, love. You're going to be fine." He tells her.

She slowly opens her eyes. They aren't too high off the ground and he's going a moderate speed. _This isn't so bad._ She feels her worries leave her. _He would never let me fall. _She assures herself. "Let's go a little bit faster." She suggests and he chuckles lightly but complies, and speeds up.

"See that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asks once they've landed.

She shakes her head. "No, I quite enjoyed it actually. I'm not saying I want to do it every day or anything, but every once in a while would be alright."

James smiles and leans down for a kiss. "Whatever you say."

-J-3-L-

Lily spends most of the next week helping James' mum get the decorations and food in order for the New' Year's party. When she isn't busy with party details she spends time with the boys in The Marauder Room. Every night she and James take turns staying in one another's beds. Some nights staying up talking, other's falling asleep right away from exhaustion, and others they get more intimate before bed. Every morning one of them to wakes up early and sneaks back into their own room.

Lily loves being here, enjoys having the privacy of their own rooms, but she finds herself slightly longing for Hogwarts. She can stay in James' bed and sleep in the next morning at Hogwarts. She just uses his cloak and sneak back to her own dormitory at her leisure. The only downfall is the teasing they get from their friends.

Both Mary and Beth had written to Lily to tell her that they would be attending the Potter's New Year's party. Mary's family are invited every year and Beth is accompanying her boyfriend. Remus and Peter would also be in attendance. Lily knows it's going to be a wonderful time and she can't help but be excited for it.

On Friday evening Lily sits with Mrs. Potter in her planning room going over the final details to make sure the party is going to go off without a hitch. "I must say Lily it is such a relief to have someone helping me with all this." Mrs. Potter says as she hands Lily the menu to double-check.

Lily laughs a little. "I don't suppose Mr. Potter is much of a party planner."

"No, I'm not." He says as he enters the room. Lily chuckles as Mrs. Potter rolls her eyes. "In fact Lily, my dear, you have taken quite a large burden off my shoulders. I could care less if people want meatballs or shrimp puffs." He tells her.

"Well, Lily is far more help than you ever were. See what she's done here?" Mrs. Potter says, showing him the menu.

"Ah, shrimp puffs _and_ meatballs. Ingenious."

Lily chuckles. It hadn't really been a hard decision to come to, but she likes that they are making her feel included.

"What can we do for you, Charles?" Mrs. Potter asks.

"I was wondering where those pesky sons of mine are. I was hoping Lily could tell me."

"Did you try The Marauder Room?" Lily asks. She knows that they won't be in there. James and Sirius had been working all week in secret to enchant Sirius' motorbike to become invisible, and tonight are taking it for a test drive.

"Yes, but they weren't in there. Nor were they in their rooms or the lounge or the drawing-room. I know better than to look for my sons in the library but maybe they are in the ball room." He says, more to himself than to either of the women.

"They better not be. They know better than to mess about in there the day before a party."

Mr. Potter nods. "I wonder if… I knew I shouldn't have given it to him. They have probably been following me around for hours laughing because I can't see them. Oh, they are in for it now." Mrs. Potter looks sideways at Lily for a moment.

"Charles." She says warningly.

"It's ok. I know about the cloak." Lily tells them. Mr. Potter looks shocked but Mrs. Potter smiles.

"Of course you do, dear."

"But how?"

"I expect James showed it her to impress her, like you did me." Mrs. Potter answers before Lily can. "The Potter men can't help but show off in front of beautiful red head's such as ourselves, Lily." Lily giggles at this, remembering all the times James tried to show off for her.

"Humph. Now I have to try and track down two invisible people." Mr. Potter says, looking annoyed as he leaves the room.

"How did he show you the cloak?" Mrs. Potter asks looking excited. Lily smiles wide, excited to share the story.

"Well, last Easter break I was feeling pretty down because I was fighting with my sister." Lily begins, playing down the conflict between her and Petunia. Mrs. Potter doesn't need to know how awful her sister treats her. She continues to tell Mrs. Potter the story and how excited she was and how they ended up using the cloak to sneak off for hot cocoa every night for the next fortnight.

"Oh, that is so romantic."

"I don't think he was even trying to impress me, but he did." Lily tells her.

Mrs. Potter smiles widely at this, apparently proud of her son. "It's moments like those that you remember for the rest of your life."

Lily smiles up at her. _She's right. I doubt I'll ever forget that_.

An hour or so later Mrs. Potter runs off to get them some tea and Lily feels someone plant a kiss on the back of her neck. She jumps at first but realizes that James and Sirius must have returned. "You frightened me!" She scolds him and James takes his mother's seat.

"Sorry love, but I couldn't resist. I have to hide under the cloak until Padfoot gets back or my dad'll get suspicious."

"Where did he go?"

"Found a Muggle girl who has a thing for motorbikes. I left him in the village and came back here."

"Ah, and you just got back?"

"Nah, but I realized dad had been looking for us, so I threw the cloak on and have been hiding out. Saw my mum on her way to tell Tilly to make tea, so I decided to pop in and say hello."

"Well that is very sweet of you, but she'll be back any second."

"Alright, I'll leave you two to your girly stuff, but come find me afterwards." He says mischievously, giving her a swift kiss and throwing the cloak back over himself.

"How can I find you if you're invisible?" Lily asks with a smirk and hears his laugh coming from the doorway. She shakes her head. _Life can never truly be dull with James around._

-J-3-L-

Saturday morning Lily wakes in James' bed at five o'clock and slowly tries to roll away from him so as not to wake him. But it seems he was already awake because he wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her back to him.

"Where are you going?" He asks sleepily.

"I have to sneak back to my room, it's party day. Your mum will be looking for me soon, I expect."

"Lily, don't you dare get out of this bed. I refuse to let you go until seven at the earliest. She can come in here and pry you out of my arms herself, if she must." James tells her and Lily chuckles.

"I just really want this party to go well. It's my first wizarding party outside of school."

He pulls her in closer to his chest. "Relax, love. My mum loves you, everyone else will too. Things went well at that tea over the summer didn't it? This will just be more of that, only the old bats will bring their husbands." Lily laughs at his assessment of his parent's friends.

"Alright, I'll stay until seven, but not a second longer." She tells him snuggling into him.

He chuckles again as he kisses the top of her head. "I love you."

Lily rolls over and immediately realizes James isn't in the bed anymore. She can hear water running from his bathroom and she picks up his watch from the bedside table. _Eight-fifteen!_

Lily jumps out of bed and pounds on the bathroom door furiously. She hears him laugh loudly from inside and she opens the door and flings open the curtain. "James Potter! How dare you let me sleep in this late?" He smiles at her anger.

"You just looked so peaceful, I couldn't disrupt you. Besides my mum always has a lie in on New Year's Eve, otherwise she couldn't stay up late enough. I would have woken you round nine if you didn't wake up yourself." He promises her.

She stands staring at him, hands on hip. Then it seems to hit her. She's staring at him, naked in the shower. She watches the water trickle down his slightly hairy chest and feels her anger leave her.

"We have until nine, you say?" He grins and reaches out to pull her into the shower with him.

At five after nine Lily hops back out of the shower, pulling on his bath robe. "Ok, now I really have to get back to my room." She says. "You're mum is probably already done with breakfast."

"Come on Lily, what's more fun, the shower with me, or hanging streamers with my mum?" He asks, smirking.

She grins at him. "You better save some of that energy for tonight. We'll need it for dancing." She calls as she leaves the bathroom to go back to her own room to change into some comfy clothes. She'll be dressing for the party later.

When Lily arrives in the kitchen she finds that James had been right, his mum isn't even there yet. As Lily pours herself a cup of coffee, Mrs. Potter appears. They start on breakfast and chat idly about last-minute details. James and Sirius arrive a half hour later.

"Alright, once you two are finished eating I need you to help in the ball room, you know the drill. Your father will be up there to help out. Lily and I will be in the planning room finalizing the seating chart, come find us when you are done." She instructs them and Lily follows her out of the kitchen and to the planning room.

When everything seemed to be in order Lily figures she better start getting ready. "I'll see you at six?" She asks James.

"I will be waiting outside your door." He promises and she gives him a quick kiss before heading upstairs.

Lily double checks her reflection in her mirror. She makes sure her earrings look nice and that her shoes are buckled correctly and her hair in place. She is wearing the silver dress robes James' mother had bought her along with the high-heeled shoes that match. The earrings are borrowed from Mrs. Potter and her hair is half up and half down with soft curls falling down her back. She thinks she looks rather good.

She walks nervously to her door at exactly six o'clock and opens it to see James leaning casually against her door frame, waiting for her. He is wearing all black dress robes with black shoes. She's never seen him in all black before. He's quite dashing. He looks her up and down and smiles widely as he straightens up.

"Lily, you look beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you." She says and takes the arm he is holding out for her.

They arrive in the ball room to see Mr. and Mrs. Potter holding court at the entrance, waiting to greet the guests.

"Lily darling, you look absolutely wonderful. Jamie dear, I want you to show her off as much as possible tonight. Get her out onto the dance floor. Goodness knows you two must be experts with all the dancing you've done in the last week." She says.

Lily blushes as Sirius coughs and James stamps on his foot. Luckily Mrs. Potter doesn't notice any of this because the first guests arrived then.

"Oh Delia, welcome! How are you? I believe you remember my husband Charles and our son James and this is James' girlfriend, Lily Evans." She says, smiling widely as she introduces Lily.

After an hour of this Lily looks up at James perplexed. "How do your parents know this many people?" She asks in a whisper.

He chuckles. "Most of them are just people dad used to work with at the ministry. Others are women my mum serves on committees with and some are only invited because they are important and they come because they know that other important people will be here."

"So, who is that?" Lily asks pointing to a random man in bright red dress robes who already looked tipsy despite the fact that he had only arrived a half hour ago.

"No idea. The key is to listen to when my mum says their name, then repeat it when you shake their hand. Then it's over and you can forget it again until next year." Lily giggles at this and a very tall woman with too much make up walks up to them.

"James darling, how are you?"

"Wonderful, have you met my girlfriend Lily?" He says introducing her.

"No I have not, lovely to meet you Lily."

"And sometimes, you don't even need to know their name." James whispers in Lily's ear as the woman walks away.

Once it seems like the guests were coming fewer and fewer Mary comes up to them. "Can I steal Lily away, James?" But before he can answer, Mary drags Lily towards their table.

"Ok, tell me everything. Where did you get these robes? Did James get you that necklace? Did you guys have sex? Sirius says he thinks you did. Was it good?" She asks in a rush and Lily looks at her shocked. "Sorry, I just feel so out of the loop at my house. It's so boring. But spill." She demands.

Lily thinks about denying that she and James had taken their relationship further, but what's the point? Mary would find out eventually and lying would only make her angry.

"James' mum bought me these robes for boxing day. She says she always wanted to shop for a daughter and now she has an excuse. James did get me this necklace, for Christmas. It's goblin forged gold. Can you believe it?" Lily asks amazed.

"Of course it is Lily, duh, but answer the most important question."

Remus and Peter join their table just then and Lily gives her an 'I'll tell you later' look. They're all discussing their holidays when Beth shows up with her boyfriend, Barry, next to her.

"Barry, I want you to meet my friends." She says. "This is Peter Pettigrew, Mary Macdonald, Lily Evans and Remus Lupin." She says hesitating on Remus' name.

"Well it is nice to meet all of Beth's school friends." Barry says. Lily smiles politely but can't help thinking that he looks bored.

"Lily's boyfriend is James Potter, Barry. His parents are hosting this event."

"Ah, yes, I believe you mentioned that. Where is James, I would really like to speak with him."

Lily is a little taken aback by this. _Why does he want to talk to James?_

"He was chatting with some of his father's old colleagues up front, last I saw him." Lily says.

"Ah, I must go locate him. Beth I trust I can find you here when I am done?" He asks, almost as if it were a command.

"Of course." She agrees. Beth sits down in what would be Sirius' chair.

"So tell me about your holiday so far." Mary asks her.

"On Christmas Barry asked me to move into his flat with him." Beth gushes excitedly.

"So, you are living with him?" Lily asks astonished, glancing at Remus who had gone stone faced and then at Peter whose mouth is hanging open.

"Yes, it's so wonderful. His place is so nice and it's just the two of us. It's like dream come true." Lily can see that Remus hadn't moved a muscle since Beth started talking.

"Where is his flat?" Mary asks, but before Beth can answer Barry is back.

"We have to go find our table, dear. Dinner is starting in a few moments."

"I'll see you lot later!" She promises and follows him from the table.

"What just happened? Did he find James?" Lily asks confused.

"Who knows, does he seem weird to anyone else?" Mary asks when they were out of ear shot. Before anyone could answer James and Sirius appear. James gives Lily a kiss on the cheek as he takes his seat next to her.

"Sorry we didn't join you sooner. We got distracted by Uncle Al." He explains.

Lily knows that Sirius' Uncle Alphard is the only member of his family that he actually claims he's related to, and she can see why. She met him for the first time tonight and was instantly reminded of Sirius. Same dark hair, same color of eyes and the same love for women. At least it seems as so to Lily, because the man excused himself from his chat with her to hit on a witch at least half his age.

"What did we miss?" Sirius asks taking his seat next to James.

"Beth moved in with Barry." Mary announces still looking shocked.

Lily isn't surprised when James glances at Remus before he replies. "That's interesting. Seems a little quick considering she hasn't even left school yet."

"That's what I'm saying." Mary agrees.

Waiters appear as if from nowhere and start serving food and they tuck in. When James finishes with his meal he discreetly slips his hand under the table to rest on Lily's leg. She smiles sideways at him and he gives her knee a reassuring squeeze, as if he knew that she is starting to get nervous again. Surely she can't stay here all night with their friends. James had been instructed to show her off. Certainly that means she'll have to accompany him while he talks to all the guests.

"Fancy a dance, love?" He asks. Lily looks over at the large dance floor. It is empty despite the soft music playing.

"No one is dancing yet."

"So? We can start it off." He suggests and stands, pulling her up with him. He leads her to the dance floor and they begin a slow waltz. And after only a few seconds other couples start to join them.

Quite a few dances later Lily looks around the large room to see that almost all the tables are vacated. There are small groups of people chatting around the room, men surrounding the bar, but most of the guests seemed to be out on the dance floor.

"I think I need a drink."

James smiles and leads her back to their table. "I'll go get you something." He says.

She takes her seat and searches the room for her friends. She sees Beth out on the floor with Barry and Remus at a faraway table chatting up a girl she doesn't recognize. She spots Mary and Sirius on the dance floor, both with partners but have their eyes locked on one another. She sees Peter chatting with an older man who she remembers being introduced to. Lily isn't paying attention to the small group of women a few meters away from her, their backs to her. She looks round, though, as they mention Mrs. Potter's name.

"Martha's really outdone herself this year." The short woman says, her bright green robes seemingly glowing in the low light of the ballroom.

"I agree these decorations are just spectacular." The tall one points out. Lily remembers meeting her at the door, but neither her nor James asked the woman's name.

"She's just showing off." The plump one says in a horribly familiar nasally voice. "She just wants to flaunt her son's new girlfriend." Lily feels a wave of dislike rush through her as the voice and the woman's platinum blonde hair registers.

"Oh yes!" The shorter one exclaims. "Isn't she just gorgeous?"

"I tell you, if my son had the sense to find a beauty like that, I would flaunt it as well." The tall one agrees.

"Martha's just so thrilled. She told me that she loves the girl, says she's an absolute delight." Lily's chest swells at the words.

"I don't know." The plump pipes up. "My Danielle says she is quite the brainy girl."

"Well that's even better, can you imagine? Those looks and brains to back them up. No wonder Martha is so thrilled."

"James was very happy with my Danielle last year then all the sudden he leaves her for this new girl."

"What are you saying, Callista?" The short one asks in an affronted tone.

"I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised if she is charming him with more than her wits." Callista continues.

"I don't believe it!" The tall one says.

"Believe what you will, but my Danielle tells me she's Muggle-born."

"So?" The short one asks, as if she missed something.

"Think about it, a poor, brainy Muggle-born just happens to catch the attention of the only heir to one of the richest pureblood families left?" Without waiting for a response Callista saunters of, giving them a 'think about it' look.

"She's just jealous because her daughter couldn't hold James' attention." The tall one scoffs. "And I can see why, with a girl like Lily walking around."

"Can you imagine the grandkids that Martha is going to get? She's so lucky." The short one gushes. They start to walk away then, making their way to the food table.

_Does everyone here think that I love James for his money?_ Lily wonders. _Do they all think I'm bewitching him somehow, like I have him under a love spell? Is that why they think he fell for me too?_ It's insane to think this, but it still hurts her.

_His mum surely doesn't think that right? _She treats Lily like a daughter. She knows that Lily doesn't love this family for its money. _She did dress me up in these nice clothes and parade me around in front her friends in all these things that their money bought me._ _Does she not want her friends to see the real me? Does she not want her friends to know that her only son is dating a poor Muggle-born?_

_No. She bought me these things because she thinks of me as a daughter. She just never gets to buy pretty things like this, like she said. And like James said, she never had a girl to dote on before. This is a motherly thing. _Lily knows that the Potter's aren't ashamed of who she is, James especially. Mrs. Potter had welcomed her into her home, treated her like her own daughter and did everything to make Lily feel comfortable. Lily's slightly ashamed of herself for second guessing Mrs. Potter's motives.

_What else should I expect from Danielle Abbott's mother but nasty comments?_ _Who cares what they think?_ _Let them talk, they need new gossip anyway._

James returns then, handing her a glass of her favorite wine. "Here you are, love. I almost got you butterbeer. I didn't want to spill wine on your dress robes and have you hating me…" Lily cuts him off by kissing him full on the lips.

"I love you." She tells him and he smiles, a little taken aback by the sudden gesture.

Another of James' father's friends comes over to say hello as they sit finishing their drinks. James introduces Lily once again as his girlfriend and she can't help but smile at the pride in his voice. They start to discuss Quidditch and Lily lets her mind wander.

She finds herself imagining what she and James' children would look like. _Would they have my red hair? Or James' hazel eyes?_ Images of all the different possibilities play in her mind. Whatever they look like, she hopes they get James' sense of humor. Children need to laugh and be carefree like he is.

After a few more hours of dancing and chatting, James leads Lily over to Sirius and Mary. "We'll be right back ladies." Sirius promises.

"We have to go set the fireworks up for midnight." James tells them, giving Lily a swift kiss before following his friends.

"Let's go find Beth." Mary suggests. They find her with Barry and some ministry blokes, looking extremely bored as the men talk about work. "Sorry to interrupt." Mary says.

"May we steal Beth from you?" Lily asks Barry.

"Why of course Lily. And do tell James that I would like to catch up to him at some point tonight." Barry says with a smile.

"Uh, sure I'll pass the message along." Lily can't understand what James and Barry could possibly have to talk about.

"Thank you guys so much for saving me. I thought I was going to fall asleep standing up." Beth laughs.

"Beth, what does Barry want to talk to James about?" Lily asks, unable to hide her curiosity.

"I'm not sure. I think it's work stuff. Who knows with men though?" She chuckles and Mary joins in.

"What department does he work in at the ministry?" Lily asks.

"He's a liaison between the Auror Department and the Minister for Magic's office. He says it's very prestigious."

_Well that makes more sense then._ Lily thinks, relieved. She had been imagining horrible things, like Barry finding out that James and the others are unregistered Animagi.

"So, you never answered my question before. Did you and James have sex?" Mary asks. Lily's smile falters. She had been prepared to tell Mary, but not both Mary and Beth at the same time. _This may get unbearable, with both of them asking questions at the same time. _

James and Sirius come to her rescue.

"Show's about to start." Sirius says.

"Lily, come with me." James whispers in her ear and leads her to the other side of the ball room. "We'll have a better view of the fireworks from here." He explains, excitedly as he winds his arms around her waist.

Lily wraps her arms around his neck and smiles up at him. "You know, they say that whoever you kiss at midnight on New Year's is who you'll spend the rest of the year kissing." She tells him.

He smirks at her. "I think I'll be good with that. How about you?"

Lily pretends to think about it. "I think that if I don't spend the rest of the year kissing you, then I'll be very disappointed."

He doesn't respond but just continues to grin down at her as the countdown begins. Lily can't seem to pull her eyes away from his even to see, what's sure to be, the fantastic firework display going off outside the long windows.

"Fourteen! Thirteen! Twelve!"

James pulls her in closer to him.

"Eight! Seven! Six!"

He moves one of his hands up to cup her face.

"Three! Two!"

He leans down.

"ONE!"

Lily can vaguely hear screams of excitement and people yelling, "Happy New Year!" She can faintly hear the sounds of a copious amounts of fireworks going off, but the moment his lips touch hers, she is lost. The way he's kissing her, it's as if he's trying to say much more than, 'Happy New Year!' She too is trying to convey, in the deep sweet kiss, that she would be content to kiss him every day for the rest of their lives, not just this year.

They break apart in time to see the last few remaining fireworks. "Sorry I missed the show." She says knowing how much effort he and his friends must have put into making it spectacular.

"What show?" He asks grinning down at her again. He kisses her, much lighter this time.

People start to leave shortly after midnight. Peter says goodbye almost immediately after the last firework goes off, leaving with his mother. Then Beth comes over with Barry to say good night.

"Sorry we can't stay later." Beth says as she hugs Lily.

"It's alright, I'll see you on the train." Lily promises.

"It's a shame we didn't get a chance to talk tonight James." Barry says shaking James' hand.

"I agree Barry, but I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon."

"Will you?" Barry asks, raising his eyebrows.

James looks at him confused. "Yes, I expect so. Since you and Beth are living together now, we'll be seeing a lot more of you." James looks round at Lily as if asking for her help.

"Yes of course, we look forward to seeing you again Barry." Lily says and holds her hand to him while James gives Beth a quick hug goodbye.

"You as well, Lily. It was such a pleasure meeting you. I'm sure, like James says, we'll see each other soon." He says bowing and giving Lily's hand a kiss. Beth waves as they turn at walk to the door.

"Ok, is it just me or is there something strange about that bloke?" James asks turning to Lily.

"No, it's not just you. He wanted to talk to you all night. When I asked Beth why, she said it was something to do with work. Apparently he works as a liaison between the Minister and the Auror office." Lily explains and James looks puzzled.

"But, they aren't even accepting applications to the programme yet. You can't start turning them in until the fifteenth of January." James informs her.

She returns his puzzled look. "Maybe it's something else. Maybe he wants the scoop on Remus." Lily suggests and James looks intrigued by this.

"That could be. He probably wants me to keep an eye on Beth. Can't blame the bloke for being worried." James shrugs and Lily nods. That explanation makes more sense. "Let's say good night to the others and my parents. And get you to bed."

They say goodnight to his parents and wave to Remus, who is staying the night. He doesn't respond though, as he is intertwined with a very pretty girl. They then turn to look for Mary and find her and Sirius snogging away near the exit.

"Well, that's interesting." James remarks.

"They actually might be really good together. Neither likes commitment much do they?" Lily laughs.

"I suppose that's true." He agrees.

They head to bed then, deciding on James' room for the night. They get ready for bed and climb comfortably under the covers, snuggling in close to each other. She thinks about all the people at the party tonight. She wonders how many of them will be gossiping about her and James tonight. She turns her head to look at his face and decides she really doesn't care.

"I love you, James." Lily tells him.

"Always. I will always love you." He promises her.

-J-3-L-

Lily wakes before James the next morning and looks at his watch. "It's nearly ten!" She exclaims jumping out of bed. "It's nearly ten. What if you're mum came looking for me?"

James, who had woken when she jumped out of bed, looks up at her groggily. "Lily," he says in a soothing voice, pulling her back to him. "Calm down, I assure you if my mum was looking for you she would have already barged in here. She most likely wanted to give us a lie in because of all that dancing we did last night." James says smirking at the inside joke.

Lily smiles too, knowing he's right. She curls herself back into James' body and sighs. "I can't wait until we are back at Hogwarts and can just use the map to see if anyone is searching for us." She tells him.

He chuckles and softly strokes her hair. "You really are a mischief-maker."

Eventually they get out of bed and head down to the kitchen to get something for breakfast. They find it empty save for Tilly, who is muttering angrily to herself. James chuckles and points to the door to the dining room where the voices of their friends can be heard.

Lily walks through the door to see… "Mary?" She asks surprised. "I didn't realize you were staying the night as well."

"You would have if you stayed in your own room last night." Mary says.

Both Lily and James blush furiously and Sirius chokes on his cornflakes. Lily's extremely glad that James' parents aren't present for this conversation.

"You mean to tell me that she stayed in your room all night?" Sirius asks sounding slightly angry.

James gives him a confused look as he takes his seat. "Lily stays in my bed all the time at school, it never bothered you before." Sirius does look rather resentful.

"Not bothered, just shocked is all." He says poking at his breakfast, uninterested.

Remus laughs and everyone turns to look at him. "Padfoot's sulking because if would have known Lily was staying in your room, he'd have snuck down to visit Mary in Lily's room." He says wisely.

Everyone laughs again except Mary and Sirius, whose turn it is to blush now.

"Oh, and how about you, Moony? You were still snogging that girl senseless when we went up to bed." Sirius counters.

Remus just shrugs. "A gentleman never kisses and tells." He says.

"Right, kissing is all you did. Is that why I heard Tilly muttering about a girl screaming all night, keeping her from sleeping?" James asks and now it's Remus who blushes. Everyone else laughs again.

"Looks like you were the only Marauder who didn't get any last night, Sirius." Mary says smirking.

"No, I'm sure Wormtail didn't either!" Sirius argues and they all laugh again.

"You've been striking out all holiday, Sirius." Lily comments.

"Maybe he's lost his touch." Mary adds.

"I haven't lost my touch, trust me. If I'd have known Lily was in Prongs' room, Wormy would've been the only unlucky Marauder."

"Oh is that so?" Mary challenges.

"Do you think you're parents heard us last night? I mean if we kept Tilly awake…" Remus asks James cutting off Sirius' reply.

"Nah, I'm sure you're fine mate. They sleep on the other end of the house and Tilly is right across the hall, isn't she?"

Remus looks relieved but then blushes as Sirius says, "No way could she be louder than that girl from a couple of months ago, remember her Prongs?" James laughs as a reply.

"Oy, Prongs, remember that girl Padfoot met over the summer and ended up shagging in the bathroom of that pub? They cleared the entire section surrounding the loos with their shouts."

And then they are off, trading stories back and forth. Good naturedly teasing each other about their previous girlfriends.

"Don't get us started on you, Prongs." Remus says after James tells a particularly entertaining story about how Remus and Sirius ended up shagging the same girl a week a part from each other.

"You have these kinds of stories too?" Lily asks, looking at James and raising her eyebrows.

"He wishes." Sirius laughs.

"No Lily, his stories mainly about you, whining and moping about." Remus tells her.

"_Why doesn't she like me_?" Sirius imitates James.

"_What does Selwyn have that I don't?_" Remus adds in a very poor James impersonation.

"Alright, alright we get it!" James says cutting them off as they laugh riotously.

Lily's trying to hide her smile. She's glad that James doesn't have stories like Remus and Sirius do. All his embarrassing girl stories are about her.

"Well, as entertaining as you lot are, I should get going. I promised I'd be home before tea." Mary says. Lily hadn't realized they let the afternoon get away with them.

"Moony, you have to come check out the new parts for the motorbike. I just tuned it up night before last, she really roars now." Sirius says excitedly and Remus following him out into the gardens, where Sirius keeps his motorbike in a shed.

"Want to go to The Marauder Room?" Lily asks when James turns to her. She has some things she wants to talk to him about, things she should have thought to ask him a long time ago.

James nods and leads her up to the third floor. He plops down on one of the couches smiling and looks up at Lily, but as he sees her expression, it fades. "Lily, what's wrong?" He asks concerned.

"Those stories, they, uh, they got me curious." She begins and she can feel her cheeks going red. It's absolutely ridiculous that she should be embarrassed about this. "I mean, I know we probably should have discussed this a while back but-"

"You want to know about the other girls I've been with." James finishes for her. She's relieved that he caught on to her motives.

"Yes." She says simply. "I don't think it's a secret that you were my first, and I-" She stops talking at the wide smile that crosses his face. "What?" She asks.

"Nothing, I just like hearing that I'm the only person you've been with." He tells her.

"But you knew that already."

"Not for sure. It's nice to hear." He says still smiling. "But to answer your question, I've done some other stuff with a few girls, but you're the only one I have ever had sex with." He tells her. "I know it sounds erroneous coming from a man, but it seemed like a major thing, so I never let myself get too carried away. I wanted it to mean something. I wanted to be in love, Lily." He says looking down at her.

_Is it just me or did the room just get brighter?_ James hadn't slept with anyone else before her. It didn't matter now that Lily hadn't asked him before. He had given just as much of himself to her as she had given to him. "It's not erroneous at all. I'm glad you waited. I'm thrilled that it's something that we got to share." She says unable to hide her happiness.

He leans into her and kisses her deeply as he lays her down onto the couch, lying next to her as he continues to snog her. "Would you like me to show you how glad I am that it's something we share?" He asks kissing her neck as he slides his hand under her top. Lily smiles but doesn't answer as his hand continues to move up.

Just then the door to The Marauder Room bangs open and Sirius walks in. James removes his hand but doesn't sit up, continuing to kiss up and down her jaw line.

"Haven't you two had enough of each other?" Sirius asks plopping down into an arm-chair.

"No." Lily and James say at the same time and then laugh.

Sirius rolls his eyes. "I can't believe you didn't tell me that Lily's been staying in your room, Prongs. You're supposed to be my best mate." He says, looking annoyed.

"To be fair, sometimes we stay in my room." Lily says and smiles over at Sirius. James snickers.

"Sorry mate, but I couldn't risk having you blab about it."

"I don't blab!" Sirius protests.

"Oh you don't? Then I suppose Moony spilt all his own stories this morning."

"That was you too!" Sirius points out.

"True." James concedes and Lily laughs. _They truly do argue like brothers_.

Remus enters then with a big box for Sirius. "Here's your birthday gift from Prongs, Lily, Wormy and I." He says.

James sits up on the couch to watch Sirius open it. Lily sits up slightly as well and stretches her legs across James' lap. He smiles down at her and rests one hand on her knee and flings his other arm over the couch lazily. Lily can't help but love how handsome he looks when he's like this, laid back and relaxed.

"Oh wow guys! These are brilliant!" He says pulling out all the gear for his motorbike.

Tilly enters the room then to announce that dinner is ready, so they follow her down to join James' parents. After dinner they say goodbye to Remus and return to The Marauder Room, where they spent most of the rest of their holiday.

-J-3-L-

The morning of their last day at Potter Manor, Lily wakes James early. He groans as she shakes him awake. "What'd I tell you about waking me up at five in the morning."

She chuckles but doesn't give up. "Come on, I want to go out to the gazebo one more time before we leave." She says and half pulls him out of bed.

"The things I do for you." He says but he is smiling now. They get dressed in warm cloaks and head out into the back gardens as the sun rises around them.

They sit in the gazebo for a long time not speaking. "I love this place. Even in the winter, it's beautiful." She tells him.

"I know of something that is more beautiful in every season." He tells her kissing the top of her head

Eventually they make their way back to the house and Lily starts to make breakfast for everyone while James watches. Then soon after eating they say their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Potter and disapparete to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters so that they can catch the Hogwarts Express back to school.

* * *

**A/N – I hope you liked it. :-) Let me know what you think!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N – This is a fairly long one. :-) Hope you like it!**

**Also, don't hate me. **

* * *

The first week back after the holidays is not as relaxing as James had been hoping. All his professors seem to grasp that this is their last chance to impart all their knowledge on their seventh year students. Despite the piles of homework James has to do, he's excited for his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson the following day. Professor Alvar had told them that they would be starting the practical execution of the Patronus Charm. James has always wanted to cast a patronus, ever since he was little and he'd seen his father cast one.

James sits in the common room going over his Transfiguration essay when Peter slams down his quill in frustration. "Damn Alvar and his ruddy patronus essay." Peter curses, crossing his arms over his chest angrily.

"You haven't finish that yet? It's due tomorrow mate." Sirius points out looking at his friend concerned. Alvar had given them all break to work on it and James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Mary were all already finished.

Peter rolls his eyes at Sirius. "I didn't have time to do it over break. I had a lot going on." He explains.

"Well, it's not that bad, you're probably over thinking it." Remus says.

"What are you having trouble with?" Lily asks kindly, leaning across the table to him.

"This part here," Peter says pointing to a paragraph in his text-book. "It says that each person's patronus will take the form of something you find protection in. It goes on to say that your patronus is almost a part of you, something that you are in your very core." He says paraphrasing the text. "How does that make any sense?"

James looks at his friend puzzled. The text makes perfect sense to him. There has to be something else bugging Peter. _Maybe he's just too embarrassed to admit it in front of the girls._

"I've had enough for tonight." Mary says rolling up her own Transfiguration essay, apparently not paying attention to the others conversation. "I need to go do something relaxing. Beth do you still have those old copies of Witch Weekly?" She asks.

"Of course, let's go." Beth says looking excited and packing away her Divination homework. Both girls go up to their dormitory, looking excited to do something fun and frivolous.

"Now, what's really bothering you, Wormy?" Remus asks, leaning in.

Peter looks up glancing at Lily sheepishly before answering. "Well, Alvar said in his last lesson before term ended that he published a paper on patronus'. I looked it up and it says that if you're an Animagus than your patronus will take the same form as your Animagus form." He explains and James understands.

"And you're wondering again why you turn into a rat." He surmises.

"Well, yeah. I mean what's comforting about a rat? How is that what I am at my core?" He asks looking put out.

Remus answers him slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "As we've speculated before, your rat form represents your resourcefulness. Rats are strong and smart. They can survive almost anything. Besides, where would be without you. I'd still be scratching and biting myself and you three wouldn't be able to help because you couldn't get into the tunnel." He says placatingly.

James knows that Remus is just trying to cheer Peter up. He knows, just as well as James and Sirius, that they could easily use a tree branch just as effectively as Peter on the Whomping Willow.

"And there's always the possibility that Professor Alvar's theory is wrong. It's never been written into any text-book because there isn't enough proof. Not many Animagi exist, let alone those who can also produce corporeal patronus'. I think Professor McGonagall is the only one in the last century. So, he could be wrong. There's no way to know for sure." Lily says soothingly.

James looks at her curiously. _She must just be trying to cheer him up as well._ James thinks, because he knows for a fact that she had added an entire section to her essay about Alvar's theory. James lets it go because he wants Peter to feel less insecure about his animal form.

"It's time for patrol, James." Lily reminds him and they pack up their things and head out to make their rounds.

"Do you think Wormy's still confused about the essay?" She asks him as they walk, hands linked, down the sixth floor corridor.

"No, I think he's questioning the charm itself, not the essay." James says matter-of-factly. "He'll be alright once he does the practical though. He just needs to actually cast it and then he'll be fine." James assures her and she smiles.

"I wonder what form mine will take." She ponders. "I hope it's something cool and not a bull frog or something."

James laughs at this. "A bull frog? Why in Merlin's name it be a frog?"

"I don't know. Why is Peter a rat? What if mine is something strange that I don't understand too?" She says and he can hear the concern in her voice.

"It won't be." He assures her. "I bet it'll be something like a dolphin, ya know cause they are so brilliant or maybe a panther, because they're so sexy and smooth." He says smirking at her.

"And yours will be something like a baboon." She shoots back and he laughs.

"So, you really don't believe Alvar's theory then?" He asks not understanding.

"Oh no, I do. I'm sure yours will be a stag, I just wanted to tease you." James nods and smiles again.

"Just wait, you won't like it so much when I tease you." He says in a silky voice. Hopefully she understands his double meaning.

She does it seems because she smiles and places her hands on his chest backing him up into the wall. She begins to kiss his neck and ear as his hands move up and down her back. Just as he moves to deepen the kiss, she pulls back.

"You mean like that?" She whispers in his ear and smiles mischievously at him. She starts to walk away and James lets out a groan as he watches her, hips swaying enticingly.

"That's not fair!" He calls after her.

She giggles and looks back to see him coming towards her. She breaks into a run and he chases after her playfully. He catches her easily before she can turn the corner and wraps his arms around her waist. "You'll definitely pay for that." He says suggestively in her ear.

"I bet I will." She says in the same tone as he kisses her neck.

"Good evening, James, Lily."

James jumps back quickly removing his arms from around Lily and stands straight as Professor Dumbledore comes around the corner. "Uh, good evening, Sir." James says feeling the blush in his cheeks.

"Having a nice patrol I trust?" Dumbledore asks a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, Sir." Lily answers. "Nothing out of the ordinary." She informs him.

"Glad to hear it. Do try to not get too distracted though. We must try and stay vigilant." Dumbledore says with a miniscule wink at James.

"No, Sir. We will. Sorry." James says embarrassed.

"Have a good night's sleep now. I expect you'll want to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow." He says smiling as he continues on his way down the hall.

Once they are safely in the common room James finally speaks. "Well, nothing like running into your Headmaster to ruin the mood."

Lily chuckles. "It's for the best anyway. We should get to bed."

"I guess." James concedes. "I'll see you at breakfast." He tells her leaning in for a good night kiss.

A thought occurs to him then. He pulls her in close and kisses her tenderly as he lets his hand brush her backside. He moves his kisses to her chin then her neck then up to her ear and he whispers, "Pleasant dreams", before pulling away. He smiles as he walks away leaving her, eyes closed and lips slightly parted, still standing at the foot of the girl's staircase. He knew that would do the trick. He laughs as he climbs the stairs to his dormitory, pleased with himself.

-L-3-J-

The next morning at breakfast James sits with his fellow Marauders as the post owls come swooping in. One drops the Daily Prophet in front of him and he picks it up tentatively scanning the headlines for more news of death and destruction. "Giants attacked another Muggle village." James informs his friends and sighs. "But that's the worst of it."

"Well, I suppose that's not as bad as it could be." Sirius says softly.

This is true. Worse has happened and worse is surely to come. Voldemort is now out in the open, freely proclaiming his aims to the wizarding world, quickly gaining followers. The resistance still seems fairly strong, though and James is proud once again to think of how he will soon be joining that resistance.

"Ready to produce some patroni?" Mary says, yawning. The others laugh at the incorrect pluralization as she, Beth and Lily join them.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Peter says dejectedly not touching his sausage.

"I'm so glad I dropped the subject." Beth says happily. "All I have to worry about today is if Joba will say that my bird entrails show death." Everyone laughs again. Beth is the only Gryffindor in their year to not continue on in Defense and it's easy to see why. If it came to fight or flight, Beth would definitely flee.

"What do you predict my patronus will be?" Remus asks jokingly.

"I see…" Beth begins closing her eyes and mocks going into a trance. "A large animal."

James looks at her wonderingly. _If she says wolf I'll start believing in Divination._

"It's a hippogriff!" She announces and they all laugh.

When they finish eating they head up to their Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, waving bye to Beth as she continues up to North Tower. James takes his seat next to Sirius at their desk, Lily and Mary next to them and Peter and Remus in front.

"Please put your bags up front and step away from your desks. We won't need either today." Professor Alvar says. "All you need today is your wands."

James stands in between Lily and Peter in a row waiting to begin. "I trust that everyone here knows the theory well enough now, so let's not waste any more time. If you succeed in casting a corporeal patronus it will look something like this." He says and a large giraffe bursts from his wand. A few people clap appreciatively and Alvar holds his hands up to stay them.

"Now get started. If you need help I will be walking around the room. Just raise your hand and I will get to you." He says and so they begin.

James nervously raises his wand. He knows he has to think of a happy memory for the charm to work. He picks out the memory of himself and his friends finding their first secret passageway into Hogsmeade and says. "_Expecto_ _Patronum_!" He hears the same words being spoken throughout the classroom. A large cloud of silver vapor erupts from his wand and makes it hard to see for a moment. There seemed to be a haze of the silver smoke in the room as several people conjure up the same results.

_Alright a happier memory this time._ James decides thinking back and deciding on his and Lily's first date, how good it felt to finally have her know all his secrets and for her to accept him in spite of them. _"Expecto Patronum!"_ If it were possible an even larger amount of silver escapes his wand.

On his third attempt, James thinks of an even happier memory. _"Expecto Patronum!"_ He nearly shouts, thinking of the night he told Lily that he loves her for the first time and how she reciprocated that love.

A large stag bursts from his wand. James isn't surprised by this. He knew his Patronus would be a stag, but he can't help but be taken aback by its presence. It seems to warm him slightly, like a beacon of all that is good in the world placed into one shape. It gallops around him for a moment before disappearing.

"Well that was extremely impressive, Mr. Potter." Professor Alvar says coming over to stand next to James. "I have never seen someone cast a Patronus so quickly. Take twenty points for Gryffindor." James swells with pride at this. He looks over at Lily smiling and she beams at him.

"Good job." She says and then returns to her own practice.

James looks to his left to watch his friends. He sees Peter with his eyes closed determinedly still unable to even produce the vapor. Sirius looks unconcerned, almost lazy, as he says the incantation. James' eyes fall on Remus just as a large rabbit surges out of his wand. They both stare at it for a full minute before they laugh together. They seem to have realized at the same time what it means.

Remus finds solace in the lie that James and the others tell about his lycanthropy. His "furry little problem" is what he finds protection in. Sirius, Lily and Peter laugh as they realize this too and Remus also gets awarded ten points for Gryffindor. After anther half hour of work James produces the stag again and watches it parade around the room proudly.

Lily calls, _"Expecto Patronum!"_ from next to him. What happens next James only believes because he sees it with his own eyes.

He stands stunned, watching as Lily's Patronus. The gorgeous silver doe meets his stag right in front of them and they nuzzle their noses together before disappearing into nothingness.

Most of the class hadn't noticed this, still enthralled by their own work, but others start to mutter under their breath. James doesn't care about them though. He's still paralyzed by shock. _What does this mean?_ He wonders and his mind answers him. _It means you've been right about her all along. She truly is your soul mate._

He turns to look at her, unable to keep the smile off his face. She looks up at him, matching his expression. Before he can say anything, Professor Alvar is in front of them again.

"What an extraordinary phenomenon." He says looking between Lily and James as if he were fascinated. "In all my years in studying Patronus'…" He trails off realizing that most of the class is watching him now. "Right, well twenty points to Gryffindor and would you both mind staying back after class. I would like a word." He says still looking at them intently as he walks away.

Most of the class has returned to their work now so James turns to look at Lily again. "Well, at least we can conjure patronus' now." She says in an off-hand way. James just bends down and kisses her soundly as a response. He can't think of how else to express what he's feeling.

"Oy! Some of us are still trying over here!" Peter says frustrated.

"Sorry, Wormy." Lily says pulling away from James, still smiling and both of them look over to where Peter is trying unsuccessfully to produce even a puff of smoke.

"Maybe you need to think of a happier memory." Lily suggests and this gets James thinking. _What happy memory was she thinking about when she conjured up her patronus?_

A few minutes later, Sirius goes on to prove Alvar's theory further by producing a massive silver dog. And by the end of the lesson they were the only four to produce corporeal patronus'. Mary created quite a lot of the vapor but was still unsuccessful and Peter had finally gotten a misty like substance out. James isn't too worried about his friend though. He knows that just like it was with their Animagus forms, Peter would get it eventually. The bell rings and everyone except Lily and James head down to lunch.

"Thank you both for staying." Alvar says as they approach his desk. "I don't think I need to express to you how very impressed I am. Four corporeal patronus' in one lesson." He says wonderingly, shaking his head. "I've never seen so many people pick it up this quickly, and I've tried to teach copious amounts of adult witches and wizards." He explains.

James just nods, unable to understand why the professor couldn't have said this in front of the rest of the class. "But the quickness in which you mastered the spell is not why I asked the two of you to stay behind. I asked you to stay because of the results the spell rendered." He says gazing between them again with the same look of fascination. James and Lily both wait with bated breath.

"As you know, this is my first year teaching in an actual school. This is largely because I prefer to observe and learn rather than teach, but I had this over whelming feeling that I should come here. Now I know exactly why I was so drawn to this place. Never, in all my years of studying this particular charm, have I ever seen such an occurrence. I have met countless couples, who have been together for varying amounts of time, that can both produce corporeal patronus'. But never have I met two people so correctly matched that even their patronus' are mated." He says wonderingly.

James shuffles his feet uncomfortably. This is a very personal topic and he doesn't feel much like discussing it with his professor. "I understand of course that you are both still young. But you must see what a gift this is. To be able to find your one true match in life at such a young age is extremely lucky indeed." Alvar seems to be talking more to himself now and James glances at Lily. Her face is red with embarrassment.

"Sir, may we go now please?" James asks, feeling as if the professor might start asking them if they've set a date yet.

"Oh yes, of course. Sorry to have kept you." Alvar says waving them to the door.

Neither Lily nor he speaks as they walk to lunch and when they reach the Great Hall, they take a seat on either side of Mary. James doesn't know why he's so relieved that he doesn't have to speak to her yet. He had felt elated at first figuring out that Lily is truly his soul mate, but after the talk with Alvar he feels nervous. As if everyone was now watching them.

Lily stands then, she has a tutoring session with some fourth years. James just smiles at her as she leaves, unable to find any words that would somehow help ease either of their minds. Her eyes held trepidation and what looked like fear. _I wonder if she feels the same pressure. Is she rethinking being with me?_ _I wish I never learned to cast a patronus._ He thinks bitterly letting his gaze fall back to his lunch.

* * *

Lily's leaves the Great Hall with Remus heading to their tutoring session in silence. Lily is grateful that Remus isn't pestering her for information on why Alvar had asked her and James to stay behind after class. She isn't sure how to explain it, even to herself. Nor does she really want to. Every time she thinks about it, it sends strange rushes of fear through her. She has no idea what to feel.

She had been thinking of the night James first told her he loves her, and she him, when she cast that faithful doe. As it burst from her wand she knew immediately what it was, as if she had been expecting it. At the time it had made perfect sense to her. Then when she had seen it nuzzling James' stag, she knew right then that she and James were truly meant to be together. It had been such an exciting thought at first. But now, all she can feel is anxious.

Alvar's words make her feel like she and James are under extreme scrutiny. Now their fun and exciting relationship seems heavier and full of expectations that neither of them are ready for. Lily doesn't like feeling like this, like she is being watched. It's something else entirely, being told that you're made for someone, instead of finding it out slowly on your own.

Lily has, of course, imagined herself marrying James hundreds of times, as girls so often do when in a serious relationship. But it had never seemed as real to her as it does now. Rather like it's something she's being told she has to do, whether she wants to or not. She wonders if James is feeling this way as well. He certainly looked worried at lunch.

_Nothing like having someone proclaim you are soul mates to scare a bloke off._ She thinks bitterly and sighs. She hadn't meant to let the sigh out, but the day is weighing so heavily on her mind, she couldn't help herself.

"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm all ears." Remus says and Lily starts. She had almost forgotten that he is walking next to her.

"It's not something that you could possibly understand." She says, thinking of how Remus never seems to hold a girlfriend for longer than a month. She hadn't meant to sound so rude though.

She stops and turns to him. "I'm sorry, Remus. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I'm just stressed." She's trying to apologize, but even it doesn't sound right.

"Don't apologize." Remus says. "I don't understand, you're right. It must be very confusing. But, I do know James and I know that he's probably worrying about how this is affecting you. He's probably terrified that it scared you off somehow. He waited a long time for you to come around, Lily. I'd hate to see you push him away just because of some prat of a professor."

And with that Remus opens the door to the classroom and marches in. His words were slightly harsh. Lily had never seen him like that before. She wonders if she struck a nerve by telling him he wouldn't understand. It was extremely tactless of her. But it's true. In some ways he's worse than Sirius. With Sirius at least you know what you get. But every girl Remus dates seems devastated when he breaks it off, as though they had never seen it coming.

Lily hardly pays attention to the young girl she's helping, and when the bell rings signaling dinner she has her mind made up. She will get James alone after dinner and they will figure everything out together.

"Listen Moony, I'm really sorry. It's just that, the only person I want to talk about this with is James." She explains as they walk to dinner.

"I figured." Remus says with a smile. "And I understand. I just want you to understand how badly it would hurt James if you went running off. He'd be devastated." Remus tells her.

She doesn't respond as they enter the Great Hall. Lily doesn't spot James so she sits with her friends. He comes in a moment later with Sirius and Peter and he glances at her sheepishly before taking the empty seat next to her. "Hi. How was tutoring?" He asks smiling nervously. She is glad that she isn't the only one.

"Fine. Would you like to go for a walk or maybe go to the Room of Requirement after dinner?" She asks him.

"Yeah, that sounds good. We need to talk." He replies.

_What does that mean?_ Lily panics remembering all the movies and TV shows she and Petunia used to watch when they were kids. Whenever a boy said 'we need to talk' it always meant heartbreak for the girl. _Is James about to ditch me?_

Her mind is set at ease when James turns to say something to Peter and his hand reaches over and finds hers, not letting go. She relaxes then. _I'm just over reacting. _They do need to talk but there is no way it is the end for them. She's absolutely sure that he's the only one for her.

"Are you ready, love? You've hardly eaten." He says nodding to her still full plate.

"I'm not hungry." She says. He smiles and waves to their friends and then leads her, hands linked, up to the Room of Requirement. Lily waits as James paces back and forth in front of the bare stretch of wall and then walks through the door he holds open for her.

"Wow." She says looking around at the log cabin façade. There is a couch sitting in front of a crackling fire surrounded by a cozy wooden atmosphere. She takes a seat on the couch pulling James along with her.

"Can I ask you something about Remus before we get into anything else?" She asks, curiosity taking over.

He looks puzzled but nods. "Of course, I'm not sure I'll be able to answer though."

"Well, I think I insulted him earlier, but my question is; why doesn't he ever hold onto a girlfriend? I mean, I know it isn't them breaking it off. Is it that he just doesn't want the commitment or is it something else?" James chuckles softly.

"Dating is tricky for Moony, or at least that's what he'll have you believe. He says that he can't get close to a girl because she'd never understand him. And by that we both know that he means that he can't tell them about him being a werewolf." He explains.

Lily had guessed as much. "So, he just doesn't give them a chance?"

"Nope. Once they start asking personal questions he ends it. Says it's better to ditch them than to lie to them. In a way it makes sense, but I think it's just another way he makes life harder for himself than necessary. Why shouldn't he have a steady girlfriend? He deserves one as much as anyone."

Lily wholeheartedly agrees with this. "Is that why he never asked Beth out?"

"Yeah, he was going to, you know. He really liked her. Still does I think." James says.

"Why didn't he?"

"He doesn't like to talk about it, only brought it up once. But after Mary's party over the summer, he was saying good night to her when Stebbins and Caitlin fell out of a bush nearby. They scared her and she said something like, 'I thought it was a werewolf that was going to eat us' or some variation of that. He doesn't think she'd understand. And I doubt she would. Almost no one does. We can't know what it's like for him, the prejudices he has against him." He tells her, looking sad for his friend.

"Well, we know what a great guy he is and that's all that really matters. One day he'll be able to have what we have." She tells him, smiling.

He seems to perk up a little at this. "So, we still have what we have?" He asks smiling. "I was worried you'd get scared off."

She shakes her head at him. "I just don't like feeling like we are being pushed into something. It scares me a little." She admits.

"I'm scared too. And believe me, there's no way I'm ready for the whole wedding, kids, you cook dinner while I read the paper, thing." He says and chuckles. "I love you Lily, more that I can ever say, but 'am not ready for all that yet." She laughs too.

"I'm not either. I love you too, but that really freaks me out. I felt like my future has been decided for me and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Let's not worry about it anymore." He suggests. "We're happy and in love, so let's stay that way. You mean so much to me, let's just enjoy that feeling and not let the future loom over us anymore."

"I agree. I like us." She says smiling.

"As do I." He says leaning down and kissing her.

"I like that too." She tells him and smiles as he kisses her again.

"How about this?" He asks moving his lips to her neck.

"Mm, yes, I that very much." He leans forward guiding her head onto the arm rest as he lays half on top her. She moves her hands to tangle in his hair.

This is exactly what she wants. She wants to be here with him, not worrying about the future, or soul mates, or weddings, or kids. This is where she's meant to be.

He pulls back from her and she looks up at him puzzled. "What's wrong?" She asks concerned.

"I just realized that I haven't taken you on a proper date since we've been back." He says. She smiles at him.

_Leave it to James to think of something like that now. _"Very true, but now isn't the time for that."

"Oh no?" He asks smiling wryly at her. "What is it time to think about then?" He asks a slight edge of humor in his husky voice.

She pulls her hips up to meet his in answer and tries to roll him onto his back, forgetting momentarily that they aren't on a bed, but on a couch. James rolls off the couch and with a thud falls on his back before Lily lands on top of him.

"Are you ok?" She asks him but he's laughing now. _We could really use a bed._ She thinks wistfully.

Appearing, as if from nowhere, in the corner is a large four poster bed with white hangings. Lily gasps.

James gets to his feet pulling her up with him. "Looks like someone has a one track mind."

"It's your fault really." She explains.

"How is that?" He asks, backing her up slowly to the bed.

"You're little stunt last night, I was thinking about it all last night and most of today." She whispers.

"You started it." He accuses and leans down to whisper seductively in her ear. "But I'm finishing it."

Thoughts and words were no longer coherent. The only sounds coming from either of them are those of pleasure. Lily lays in his arms afterwards completely satisfied. She couldn't of imagined a better way for him to ease her mind. They are yet again on the same page.

Smiling she raises her wand whispering, "_Expecto Patronum_" and her doe leaps from her wand. A moment later James' stag is by her side and he bows his head to her. Lily and James watch the two perfectly matched patronus' as the doe nuzzles her nose into the stags and they stay like that for a moment before disappearing.

"I get it, you know." James says softly into Lily's hair.

"Get what?" She asks not following his train of thought.

"Why you produce the doe." He explains. "It perfectly represents your innocence, your independence, the enormous amount of strength you possess and of course, your beauty." Lily smiles into his chest.

"I'm glad you think I have all those characteristics, but to me the doe represents how comfortable and protected I feel just being with you." She admits. He kisses the top of her head and squeezes her tight.

There is nothing left for either of them to say. Lily can't understand how she could have possibly been so upset only a few short hours before.

* * *

The next week passes quickly for James. Lily's birthday is coming up soon and almost all of his free time is taken up by planning the day. It's a Hogsmeade weekend so James takes her into the village in the morning and follows her around as she does her shopping.

"That will be seven sickles, dear." Scrivenshaft says handing her the bag with her ink for the quill James bought her the previous Christmas. Before Lily can even get her money bag out, James had already paid the man.

"James!" Lily protests as he leads her from the shop.

"Lily, it's your Birthday. You're absolutely not allowed to pay for anything on your birthday." He insists.

She looks disgruntled but accepts this as they enter Honeydukes and he buys her a box of her favorite chocolates. They meet their friends for lunch and he smiles as he watches Lily open her gifts from their friends.

"What, Prongs? No gift?" Sirius teases when it's James' turn to give her a present.

"James already paid for everything I bought today, that's more than enough of a gift." She says smiling at him.

_Does she really think I wouldn't get her a real gift?_

After lunch the seven of them spend the rest of the day having fun in the freshly fallen snow.

Later that night he and Lily sit alone in the common room warming up by the fire. She tells him about how she used to celebrate birthdays before she knew she was a witch. Everything is going smashingly. After a while, they get out his cloak and walk, her arm wrapped around his, down to the kitchen for hot chocolate like old times. He tickles the pear and the kitchen door swings open for them. He motions for Lily to enter first and smiles as he hears her gasp.

He and Dinky had worked together to set up a banner that reads '**Happy Birthday Lily**' above their regular spot. On the counter in front of their stools are several candles surrounding a small cake and two mugs of cocoa.

"Oh James." She whispers.

"Do you like it?" He asks her apprehensively.

"I love it." She tells him. "It's wonderful. Thank you, Dinky." She says to the bowing house elf.

"Happy Birthday, Miss Lily." Dinky says. "Will you be needing anything else, Mr. James?"

"No thank you, Dinky. You did wonderfully." And the tiny elf bows again and retreats further into the kitchens. James pulls out Lily's stool for her before taking the one next to her and lighting the candle on the small cake.

"I'm going to sing to you now, so beware." He warns her and she chuckles. He sings her happy birthday, loudly and extremely off-key, but she smiles and blows out the candle anyway. He grins as he watches her; there is something so sensual about this act.

"Would you like my gift now?" He asks her, smiling at her look of surprise.

"You mean this whole day isn't my gift?" She asks.

"Silly, Lily," he chastises, using the old joke. "You couldn't have honestly thought I wouldn't get you a real gift on your birthday."

She smiles as he pulls a long, pristinely wrapped package from his robes. "You didn't wrap this did you?" She guesses and smiles as he laughs.

"No, Sirius did. But don't tell him I told you, it's a skill he likes to pretend he doesn't possess." He watches her carefully as she pulls the paper off and opens the box.

"James." She sighs, staring at the bracelet in the box that matches the necklace he had gotten her at Christmas. But, instead of a heart pennant, in the middle of the gold ring is a doe and stag nuzzling their noses together just as their patronus' had. The doe's eye is a small emerald and the stag's a tiny topaz diamond. She smiles up at him widely.

"It's so beautiful. I love it." She says breathlessly. He pulls her as close as the stools will allow and kisses her.

"I love you, Lily. Happy birthday." She kisses him on the cheek and reaches her arm out.

"Put it on, I want to see what it looks like." She says eagerly and he chuckles as he clasps it around her wrist.

"Thank you." She says admiring the charms. "How did you get the gems to match our eyes?"

"Mr. Unlind will do anything for the Potter men." James chuckles.

"Unlind? You mean that this bracelet is also goblin made?" She asks looking shocked.

"Of course Lily, do we have to go over this again? I thought my mum talked to you about it." He says remembering her worries over the Christmas holiday.

"No, I remember, I just can't get over how wonderful you are." She says sounding awed.

James had thought his father was winding him up when he told him that witches go nuts for goblin made jewelry. But he can't doubt him now. He smiles down at her pulls the cake and forks to them. "Come on, eat your cake."

They head back to Gryffindor Tower a little while later in contented silence. Lily leads him right up the boy's staircase smiling. She always stays in his bed on the weekends and full moon nights now. When they enter the dormitory it is to find it empty.

Lily looks round at him confused. "Where is everyone?" She asks.

"They, uh, decided to give us privacy for your birthday." He says with a smile.

None of his friends have caught on to the fact that James uses _muffliato_ every time she stays in their dormitory. They all thought he and Lily were asleep when they were not. She smiles and he knows that she too is thinking that it matters little if they're there or not, they have their privacy either way.

"Well, that's very sweet of them."

"I agree." He says wrapping his arms around her and picking her up. She squeals delightedly as he carries her the short distance and lays her gently on his bed. "So what did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you. If I do, it won't come true."

"Fair enough." He says smiling.

He makes love her on her birthday, hoping only that he'll be so lucky as to do the same on his own.

"Happy birthday, love." He whispers in her ear and they fall asleep peacefully.

-L-3-J-

February arrives bringing with it thicker snow and colder temperatures. James and Lily walk arm-in-arm down the front steps of the castle on their way to Hogsmeade.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans!" Professor Sprout calls to them as they pass the green houses.

"Yes, Professor?" Lily asks and they turn back to her.

"Professor Dumbledore asked me to catch you. He would like to see you in his office right away."

"Is everything alright, Ma'am?" James asks thinking of his parents.

"Yes, it's something about Head duties." She explains.

They thank her and head back up to the castle. _What is so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?_ James wonders. _Doesn't Dumbledore know its Valentine's weekend?_ He thinks bitterly.

They tell the gargoyle the password and ride the spiraling staircase up to his office. Lily knocks lightly on his door.

"Come in." Dumbledore calls to them and they enter. "Good morning, sorry to hold you back from your Valentine's date." Dumbledore begins.

"It's alright, Professor." Lily says sweetly. James wonders if she too is thinking about how they can sneak out later for an even better Valentine's date.

"I asked the two of you to stay back today because Mr. Filtch found this, this morning and we feel that it deserves looking into." Dumbledore explains holding out a small scrap of paper for Lily and James to look at. There is only one line written on it.

**11 February 2pm**

And next to the words is a drawing of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. The symbol looks sinisterly familiar. James looks up into his Headmaster's eyes. "Is this the Dark Mark, Professor? You-know-who's symbol?"

"Indeed it is, James. It is why we feel that this deserves our attention."

"I agree, Sir. How can we help?" James asks, all thoughts of his Valentine's plans gone from his mind now. He's completely focused on the issue at hand.

"Miss Evans, do you also agree to help?" Dumbledore asks Lily. James hadn't meant to speak for her, but he knows she'll want to help as well.

"Of course, Professor. What can we do?" She asks and Dumbledore beams at them.

"I would like the two of you to patrol the seventh floor for me. If you see anything suspicious or run into any trouble, send word and someone will be up to help. If nothing turns up by four, I would like for you to report to the Prefect's Lounge to await further instruction." He tells them and Lily and James leave their Headmaster's office and begin their patrol, eye's peeled and wands out.

James is pretty sure that Dumbledore knows that the seventh floor will be devoid of any suspicious activities but he's glad to be helping anyway.

"James?" Lily asks in a small voice.

James looks sideways at her. "Yes?"

"The note, the one that Filtch found.. well I - I, uh - it's Snape's handwriting on that note." She says, fumbling over her words, as if she is forcing herself to say them

James stops in his tracks and she turns around to face him. "Are you sure, Lily?"

"Positive. I've seen it a million times."

"We have to tell Dumbledore." James decides. "Why didn't you before?"

"Because I have no proof." She says and shrugs. "I can't make accusations like that without real proof. But I know he's aiming to be a Death Eater like the others." She says and James looks at her cautiously for a moment. Snape has always been such a tricky subject between them, but she doesn't look sad, she looks disgusted.

"I suppose you're right." He tells her.

"I just hope nothing terrible happens." She says sounding scared.

"Me too." James agrees and they don't talk much after that.

At four James sighs. "We better get down to the Prefect's Lounge and find out what's going on." He says and they make their way to the small room used for prefect meetings. James closes the door behind them and he and Lily take their seats at the head of the 'U' shaped table.

Nearly twenty minutes later Dumbledore arrives. "All well on the seventh floor?" He asks.

"Yes Sir, no trouble." James confirms.

"What about the rest of the castle?" Lily asks anxiously.

"All quiet. We didn't find anything suspicious at all. The note may have been old or it could even have been a joke. They might have also found out we were onto them and changed their plans, but there is nothing to be done now. We will just have to stay vigilant when we patrol." He says and both James and Lily nod their assent.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Lily asks and he turns to look at her.

"Yes, Lily?"

"I believe that Severus Snape is the person who wrote that note." She tells him. James is glad that she told him, but he's worried how their Headmaster will react.

"Any particular reason you feel this way, Lily? He asks.

"Yes, I know his handwriting extremely well. I have seen it many times before, it's unmistakable." She tells him and he nods.

"Thank you for telling me this, Lily. I will definitely take it into account. But Mr. Snape and Mr. Mulciber are serving a detention today with Professor Kettleborn." He informs her.

Personally, James feels that this is the exact reason why nothing had happened today, but he knows better than to voice his opinion. Dumbledore does not care for unfounded accusations or guess-work.

"Now, since I effectively ruined your Valentine's plans I think it is only fair that I present you with new ones." Dumbledore begins smiling benignly.

"Oh no Professor, it's really not a problem." James says but Dumbledore holds his hands up to stay him.

"Nonsense James, I heard all about your fantastic display of lilies in front of the Three Broomsticks."

James blushes at this and Lily turns to look at him beaming. It really doesn't sound that romantic when you can't see it. "Fantastic display of lilies?" She asks.

"It's nothing really." He says sheepishly and Dumbledore chuckles.

"He is being modest. Madam Rosmerta told me that it is the most romantic thing she has seen in years." Lily beams at James again. "But, as I was saying. I have arranged for the two of you to attend Madam Malkin's Valentine's Ball on Tuesday evening. I receive tickets every year and always walk away with three new sets of robes." He says chuckling.

James feels lightly uneasy about this. He has never been to a Valentine's Ball before. His parents used to go in his youth, but it never interested him.

"Thank you so much, Sir!" Lily says excitedly. "This is so very kind of you."

"Yes, thank you, Sir. You really don't have to do this."

"It is my pleasure. You both are trustworthy and dependable pupils. It makes it easy for me to know that you will display yourselves as such, even if you are away from the castle." James and Lily both nod. "I do have a few requests though, if you don't mind."

"Of course, Sir." James allows.

"I ask that you return to the castle before eleven o'clock in the evening, so as to not miss your Head duties. Also, I request that you do not consume alcohol. I know you both are of age, but I would like for you to think of this as a school function, so the same rules still apply."

"Absolutely Sir, you can trust us." Lily assures him and Dumbledore smiles.

"Well, I won't keep you then. Don't forget to have fun." He calls as he leaves the room laughing.

James swears that the old man is rooting for his and Lily's relationship to work out. He always gives James a leg up.

* * *

Tuesday evening Lily walks through the cold, arm linked with James', down the familiar path away from Hogwarts. Once outside the gates they will be able to disapparate to Diagon Alley.

Lily can't help but be excited. Mary and Beth had filled her in on what makes this ball so special. Apparently it's attended by all of the Wizarding High Society. This frightened her at first, but James assured her that it's mainly the same people who had attended the Potter's New Year's party.

James leads her through Diagon Alley to a door off Madam Malkin's. It looked to be a cellar door, but when he opens it Lily feels her mouth drop. It opens up into a large ball room decorated entirely in white, pink and red. She's exceptionally glad that she had chosen to wear Mary's black dress robes as opposed to the pink one's Beth had offered her. She would have blended right in with the table clothes.

James takes her cloak for her and she can't help but admire how handsome he looks in his silver dress robes. A dwarf dressed to look like cupid can be seen on the other end of the hall trying to stick people with his arrows and floating cherubs were placed strategically over every table. After a spectacular meal they chat with a few people who James knows and others that recognize her from the New Year's party, then he takes her out onto the floor.

As they twirl around happily Lily can't help but notice a small group of people staring at them. She vaguely recognizes them as Slytherins that graduated a few years earlier. James notices where she is looking and leans down to whisper in her ear. "Madam Malkin will allow anyone with money to attend her events. For her, it's all about making a sale." He says and she can hear the disapproval in his voice.

She rests her head on his shoulder. She doesn't want to think about things like that now, she wants to just dance and be happy. She feels him place a soft kiss in her hair and she smiles.

Around ten-thirty James leads her back to their table. "Fancy a walk before we go back?" He asks and she nods enthusiastically.

She's excited for the opportunity to snog him in private for a bit before going to back to Hogwarts. _How can I ever be happier than I am now?_ She wonders. He leads her to one of the side streets that's not as well-lit as the main road and backs her up into the wall, pulling her tight to his body.

"Happy Valentine's Day, love." He says and before she can respond he's kissing her deeply.

"Well isn't this charming?" A very cold and sarcastic voice asks. Lily has never heard such a voice before, it sounds as if it could be a hiss.

They break apart, both turning to see who had spoken. Out of the darkness comes a hooded figure with a pale face and red eyes. James immediately pushes Lily behind him, shielding her almost entirely from view, and he pulls out his wand.

Normally Lily would be annoyed by this and remind him that she can defend herself, but she knows James would be very angry with her if she tried to step around him now. Because she realizes that this must be him in the flesh._ Voldemort._ Lily pulls her wand out behind James, terrified.

"What do you want?" James asks angrily.

"Now, now Potter, I come in peace." Voldemort says stepping forward with his arms raised in mock surrender, showing that his wand isn't drawn. Lily knows this means next to nothing. He could have James writhing on the ground in pain before either one of them can make a move to stop it.

"My question still remains unanswered." James points out scathingly.

"I am here Potter, because some of my loyal Death Eaters tipped me off that you escaped Dumbledore's suffocating shelter tonight. I have come to offer you what you truly want."

James laughs humorlessly. "What I want, Voldemort, is for you to disappear and be gone from this world forever. I doubt you've come to offer me that."

"You are brave, Potter. There is no denying that." Voldemort says smirking. "I'm also told you are something of a leader. Those are both qualities that Lord Voldemort admires greatly." He informs James.

Lily is trying to think of what to do. _Will Voldemort let us walk away unharmed?_ She knows there is no possibility of that, but, it's the only hope she can see.

"I'm offering you a spot within my ranks, Potter. I can give you a better life than that fool Dumbledore ever could. You will receive the adoration you desire and the power you crave. You also wouldn't have to settle for scum like the Mudblood cowering behind you now. If you join me, you can have a woman you truly deserve. Join me Potter, and you will have the life you've always dreamed of. We need more pure blood men like you." Voldemort finishes his speech and Lily sees his confident smile through a gap in James' robes.

His words had lashed at Lily like a whip, painful and stinging. James stands up straighter seeming to grow a few inches. "You're right. You do need more men like me in your _cause_." James says.

Lily doesn't understand his inflection on the word 'cause'. She is too distracted by the actual words. Surely it isn't James speaking these words. Not her James, who defends her in any situation. Her James, who detests the Dark Arts. Her James, who loves her. She wishes she could see his face, make sure that he really said those words.

Voldemort is smiling triumphantly at James now. "You need more people around you who will stand up for what's right. Who will tell you that you're wrong and that you're twisted and need mental help. I don't crave your power or desire the adoration of your sycophants. I certainly do not want any other woman in the world besides the beautiful _witch_ standing behind me." He says.

Lily understands his inflection now and her heart swells at his words. _This is the James I know._

"I wouldn't join you Voldemort, even if it were a choice between that and death." He tells him defiantly.

Voldemort, whose face had fallen throughout James' pronouncement, looks murderous now and he laughs insanely. "You are being foolish boy. You don't understand how the real world works yet. There is no good or evil, Potter. There is only power."

James laughs humorlessly again. "Only someone who has never known love could say such a thing, Voldemort." James just barely has time to deflect the hex Voldemort sent his way.

Everything is a blur then. She and James duck and dodge and deflect as they shoot off every hex, jinx, curse and spell they can think of. But Voldemort keeps pace with them easily. He sends a killing curse at Lily and she barely ducks out-of-the-way in time.

The alleyway is lit with jets of light as the spells keep coming. James pushes her out-of-the-way as a jet of red flies by them and he turns quickly to deflect the next curse. From the ground Lily shoots off an impediment jinx that hits its mark.

She watches Voldemort stumble back and feels James crash into her a second later. She feels him pull her with him as he turns on the spot. But instead of the pressure she is expecting from Apparition, she feels a blinding pain shoot up her side.

She hears herself let out a scream of pain that is cut off by suppression in her lungs. Seconds later the compression in her chest is gone, but the pain in her side does not relinquish. She collapses to the ground, the world going black.

* * *

**A/N – DUN, DUN, DUN! (Again)**

**What happened to Lily? Is she dead? Stay tuned for the next chapter of _Thrice Defied_ to find out!  
(Again, all of that was supposed to be said in a Soap Opera announcer's voice.)**

**Sorry to leave you on another cliff hanger, I hope you don't hate me. Don't worry though, the new chapter will be up tomorrow. :-)**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N – Just a quick update to the previous Chapter, no one was thinking anything while Alvar was explaining about their Patronus', that was just a mistake! Sorry! I fixed it now, so I hope that clears up some confusion. :-)**

**Imagine the rest of what I say in this author's note to be in the Soap Opera narrator's voice. :-)**

_**Previously on Thrice Defied**_

_Everything is a blur then. She and James duck and dodge and deflect as they shoot off every hex, jinx, curse and spell they can think of. But Voldemort keeps pace with them easily. He sends a killing curse at Lily and she barely ducks out-of-the-way in time._

_The alleyway is lit with jets of light as the spells keep coming. James pushes her out-of-the-way as a jet of red flies by them and he turns quickly to deflect the next curse. From the ground Lily shoots off an impediment jinx that hits its mark._

_She watches Voldemort stumble back and feels James crash into her a second later. She feels him pull her with him as he turns on the spot. But instead of the pressure she is expecting from Apparition, she feels a blinding pain shoot up her side._

_She hears herself let out a scream of pain that is cut off by suppression in her lungs. Seconds later the compression in her chest is gone, but the pain in her side does not relinquish. She collapses to the ground, the world going black._

**And now, the exciting continuance of Thrice Defied!**

* * *

The noise around him means nothing. The people, James doesn't know who anymore, fussing over him and asking him questions, mean nothing. All that he can see, hear, or comprehend, is Lily lying on her side, her bloody wound exposed to the room.

"Will she be alright?" He asks the room at large, not caring who answers.

"Yes. Madam Pomfrey has already healed the laceration. She just needs to clean her up a bit and I expect Lily will need a few blood replenishers, but she should be well enough in a few hours." The room comes into focus at Dumbledore's words.

They are in the Hospital Wing. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Slughorn and Sprout surround him looking worried.

"Are you hurt, James?" McGonagall asks him and he shakes his head. He has a few scraps and bruises from the duel, but other than that he's unharmed. The blood on his robes is Lily's. This sends a wave of guilt through him.

"I should have apparated us back right away." He says speaking to Lily, who he knows can't hear him.

"Filius, would you please go find Mr. Lupin and Miss Robins and have them patrol the hall for the last shift? Inform them that both James and Lily are alright and that they will receive more information later." Flitwick nods at this and leaves the ward without a word.

"Pomona, would you please go down to the gates and make sure that they are secured properly?" He asks.

"Of course, Albus." Sprout says as she follows Flitwick.

"Horace, please find Mr. Filtch and help him clean up the blood before any of the students see. We don't need them in a panic."

"Right you are, Albus." Slughorn says as he too leaves the wing.

James is left alone with McGonagall and Dumbledore now and watches Madam Pomfrey pull the curtains around Lily's bed, most likely to get her out of her torn and stained dress robes.

"Please take a seat James." Dumbledore says and James falls into the closest chair. "I must now ask you to tell me what happened this evening." He tells him.

James recounts the night's events for his two favorite Professors. He tells them how he had decided to take Lily for a walk instead of coming straight back to the castle. How Voldemort found them and how he taunted them. He tells them how Voldemort asked him to join him, and how when he refused Voldemort attacked. He tells them how Lily stayed to help him instead of apparating to safety. How she hit Voldemort with the impediment jinx and how he had taken the opportunity to get them out.

"But, before I could, she let out a scream…" He says and his voice breaks, unable to continue. He knows that scream will haunt him until he hears her voice again. "If only we had just come back to school right away. This is all my fault." James admits and buries his head into his hands shamefully.

McGonagall places her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "It's not your fault, James."

Dumbledore nods his agreement at her words. "I am very proud of both you and Lily." He says. "You were both extremely brave to stand up to him like that. Not many can say that they have dueled Lord Voldemort and lived to tell the tale."

James looks up at him. "Would he of let us go, Dumbledore, if I hadn't stood up to him? If I had told him I needed to think about his offer or something?" James asks. This has been gnawing away at him all night. _Is it possible that I could have gotten Lily back harm free if only I had more sense?_

"No James, I do not think Voldemort intended to let Lily leave that alleyway alive tonight, no matter what you said to him." Dumbledore says. The words weren't spoken harshly, but they still feel harsh. He's glad for them though, for they're the words he needs to hear. He has no reason to regret his actions then. He did exactly the right thing. The fight was inevitable.

"James, I have known for many years that you are brave and that you are a good leader. But, I also know that you are chivalrous and compassionate. These are things that Lord Voldemort doesn't understand, so he could not see how sadly mistaken he is to believe that he could ever convert you to his side." Dumbledore says his eyes sparkling with what looked like admiration. James nods. Usually words like these would have him swelling with pride, but the night's events are weighing heavily on his mind still.

"Minerva, I think we can allow James to stay here with Lily for the night and tomorrow during lessons. He too needs some time to rest and recover. Will you let his teachers know?"

"Certainly, Albus." McGonagall says. "I will have Miss Robins and Mr. Lupin take over Head duties until Lily and James feel like they are up to it again. Get some rest James." She adds squeezing his shoulder before leaving the ward.

"Sir, he knew me." James says looking back up into his Headmasters face. "I mean, he knew my name and he knew things… things about me. But how can he? I never met him before tonight."

"I think, James, that Lord Voldemort knows all the children of the pure-blood families. Undoubtedly, he will want to convert all of you. As for knowing things specifically about your personality, I think it is safe to assume that he has a few of his own informants."

"Oh right." James says, almost forgetting about Snape and Mulciber and how obsessed they are with becoming Death Eaters. They would need to earn their way in somehow. This must be it, telling Voldemort all he wants to know about all the pure-blood children at Hogwarts.

"I will let Madam Pomfrey tend to you now. Maybe a sleeping potion?" Dumbledore suggests before giving James a smile and leaving the wing to contact Lily's parents.

James stands and makes his way over to Lily's bed, taking the seat next to it. "How is she?" He asks Madam Pomfrey.

"She's fine. She'll need to take another blood replenisher when she wakes, but she should be fully healed in a few hours." James nods and takes Lily's hand in his.

"I'll get you a potion for dreamless sleep. Put a gown on and get into bed." Pomfrey says and sighs when James makes no indication that he plans on leaving Lily's side. "Oh very well, you may sleep in the chair, but there's no need for worry. She _is_ fine."

James knows she's fine. He can feel the warmth in her hand and hear her steady breath. She's just merely sleeping. He brushes her hair back from around her face and pulls his chair closer to her bed.

James thanks Madam Pomfrey as she hands him the potion he knows he won't be taking. He has to stay awake incase Lily wakes. The matron bids him goodnight and heads off to her office, extinguishing lamps as she goes. Everything is dark and quiet now and James let's his mind drift as he watches Lily sleep. For the first time since fifth year, he thinks about the future. He hadn't put a lot of thought into before, but now he can't help but plan.

His aim to be an Auror never seemed to ring truer than it does now. It's the only career path that makes sense for him. He wants to fight, to rid the world of that evil man, and the Auror programme will give him the best possible way to do this. He isn't supposed to hear back about his application for another few weeks, but he is confident that he will be accepted. Lily has always wanted to be a Healer, ever since second year. This fits right into his plans. The Healer training programme lasts about the same time as Auror training.

Perhaps they'll get a flat together in London when they leave school. He can't imagine what life would be like not seeing her every day. It would be unbearable. So, they'll live together while they go through training and he'll never have to be without her. He runs different scenarios through his mind, what kind of schedules they'd both work and what their flat will look like.

He's entertaining the thought of putting a deposit down now, to secure a nice place, when he feels her hand twitch in his. James looks down at it and she curls her fingers around his. He looks up into her face and is distracted by the emerald gaze that meets him. _She's awake_.

"Hi. How are you?" He says in a small voice.

"Tired," she says and lets out a low chuckle. "But, other than that, good." He feels himself completely relax as her words register.

"I love you so much." He tells her leaning in closer so he can stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"I love you." She says hazily. "Thank you… for getting us away. You're wonderful."

"You're the one who is wonderful, love. Now go back to sleep you need rest." He says.

"Only if you do." She says nodding to his untouched potion.

"You drive a hard bargain, but I'll go to sleep as well." He promises her and leans back in his chair so that she can see he means it.

"No." She says clutching his hand closer. "You have to sleep where I won't lose contact with you." She says groggily. He smiles at her insistence and leans forward to give her a kiss before laying his head down on the side of her bed.

"The things I do for you." He jokes and she lets out an almost inaudible laugh and he knows she's already asleep. He takes a sip of his potion and falls asleep the instant his head lays back down on the bed.

-L-3-J-

James wakes the next morning to the hushed voices of their friends.

"Morning mate, we brought you some breakfast." Sirius says when James lifts his head.

"And Pomfrey's already having a fit because we're all here." Remus adds.

"We should actually get going or we'll be late for our first lesson." Beth points out.

"We'll visit after dinner." Mary promises.

They head out before James can even say anything but a quick thank you. He stretches as he reaches for the breakfast tray. His is back sore from the position he slept in last night, but it was worth it.

"I smell bacon." Lily says and James laughs as he looks back at her.

"Well, good morning to you too." She chuckles at his cheek but takes the bacon sandwich he offers her.

After breakfast Madam Pomfrey comes over and James is forced to stand on the other side of the curtain as she checks Lily's bandages. Lily is given her final potion and told that she can leave after dinner if she feels up to it. She does, so James walks with her, hands joined together, up to Gryffindor Tower that night.

"Lily, James, wait a moment please." Professor McGonagall calls, coming up behind them.

"Yes, Professor?" Lily asks turning with James to speak to her.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office before you return to your common room tonight." She explains.

James nods as he and Lily turn around and make their way to their Headmasters office instead. Neither speaks as they walk, both apparently lost in thought about what their Headmaster needs to see them for. Lily knocks on his door when they reach the top of the spiraling stair case and they are told to enter. Dumbledore greets them and motions for them to take a seat in the two chairs in front of his desk.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me on such short notice. I had planned on coming down to deliver my invitation personally, but Madam Pomfrey had informed me that you were already discharged." He says with a small smile.

"It's quite alright Professor, we don't mind." Lily says giving the old man a reassuring smile

"Well, I'm sure that you are extremely curious as to why I asked you here, so I shall not keep you waiting long." He promises. "But, may I first say Lily, that I am glad you are feeling so well. James explained to me how you stayed and fought with him last night. How you were the one to catch Lord Voldemort off guard and for this you were both able to escape with your lives."

Lily looks down at her hands blushing at the old man's words, apparently embarrassed by his tone of admiration. "Yes, Sir."

"I must tell you how proud I am of that behavior, Lily. You are very brave indeed."

"Thank you, Sir." Lily says looking up to meet Dumbledore's eyes.

"The next thing we must discuss is of the utmost importance, but I feel it may be too much to ask of you at such a young age."

James reaches over and takes Lily's hand in his, giving it a little squeeze. "We can take it, Sir." He promises, Lily nodding in agreement at his words.

Dumbledore smiles and continues on. "This talk then will be about your future when you leave Hogwarts in just a few short months. Ordinarily, I would speak to you each individually, but as it seems of late, you two are a package deal." He says with a twinkle in his eyes. Neither Lily nor James speaks. They just smile and nod, to agree that they are indeed a package deal.

"Professor Alvar has discussed with me, in private, that the two of you, along with a few of your friends, have shown the most aptitude for defensive magic that he has seen in all his years of studying it. Lord Voldemort will know this about the two of you now, having seen it with his own eyes." James nods, unable to understand where this conversation is going.

"James, I believe you told me last night that you told Lord Voldemort, 'only someone who has never known love', can think there is no good or evil." James nods again to confirm he said this.

"I believe that you are absolutely right in this charge, James. Lord Voldemort does not understand good because he does not understand love. He only construes hate, neglect, cruelty, desire, anger and fear. He believes it is desire that led you to defend Lily last night. He does not comprehend the love behind it. So to him, you would be easily bended to his will. Desire is such an easy emotion to replace. Love is not. It eludes him the depth in which love runs in a person. He does not understand." Dumbledore says again as if this sentence is of the utmost importance.

James' head is spinning. I_ don't understand._

"I believe that you and James are of one mind as to your thoughts on the war and of Lord Voldemort, Lily."

"Of course, Sir. He's a monster." Lily assures him and Dumbledore nods.

"He is indeed, Lily. This leads me to my reason for asking you both here. I have been aware of the strength, courage and skill you both possess for several years now, and, as I expected, those qualities and so many others have only grown as you two grow together. I would like you both to think about what I am about to ask you now before giving me an answer. I do not want one today."

Both Lily and James nod.

"I believe James it is your ambition to join the Auror programme after school and yours Lily to become a Healer?" They nod to him, confirming his beliefs.

"I would like to offer you both an alternative career. Both of the professions you have already chosen are very admirable, and if you choose to decline my offer, I will not begrudge you. In fact, I insist that you let me help you in any way possible to achieve your goals." They both nod again. James is getting anxious now.

"I am the founder of a secret organization called The Order of the Phoenix. The purpose of the Order is to protect both the wizarding and Muggle worlds from Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. My offer to you both is this; after you leave Hogwarts, come and join to Order and help me, and several other trusted and able persons, fight in this war. I must urge you not to forget how dangerous this type of work will be. It is a constant battle and we do fight hard. I do not want either of you to make this decision rashly. As I said, I am only offering this as a second option. You do not have to take it nor do you have to feel guilty for not doing so. I believe you are both extremely capable and we would be lucky to have you join us, if you so choose." Dumbledore finishes his offer looking between James and Lily with an unreadable expression.

James can hardly believe it. He is taken aback by this. Not only is there a secret organization that is working against Voldemort, but he's just been offered the opportunity to join as well. He doesn't need time to think. He knows Dumbledore doesn't want his answer now, but he knows what it will be. The only thing he's worried about is Lily.

"Thank you, Sir." James begins. "I can't speak for Lily, but I'm honored that you offered this opportunity to us." He says. Lily turns to look at him, her eyes blazing.

"I'm also honored, Sir. I can't even begin to explain to you what it means to me that you feel I'm worthy enough to even be considered. Thank you." She says turning back to look at their Headmaster and James gives her hand a light squeeze.

"You are welcome. You both are more than worthy of this. I trust that this conversation will stay between the three of us?" Professor Dumbledore asks.

"Yes, Sir." Lily and James say at the same time.

"Very well, you both may return to your common room then. Take time to think about what I've offered you. I will meet with you again on a later date to receive your answers."

James and Lily stand and leave Dumbledore's office. They walk through the halls hand-in-hand heading to the Room of Requirement, though neither of them had said it. When they reach the bare stretch of wall, Lily paces back and forth and James opens the door for her when it appears. He steps in after her and looks around. He wonders what she had asked it to be, for all that is in the small room is a single wood table with two wooden chairs. It doesn't look uncomfortable, just serious. He supposes this will be a very serious conversation.

He takes his seat across from Lily at the small table and gives her a small smile. "Well, you can't say it hasn't been an eventful twenty-four hours."

"No you can't." She says with a dry chuckle.

"I'm so sorry." He says hanging his head. "If I hadn't suggested that walk, then we'd have never had to face him."

"James, it's not your fault. Besides, I'm sort of glad it happened." James' head snaps up at this. He looks into her eyes confused. "That whole encounter just confirmed for me that you're exactly the type of man I thought you were. It showed me that you stick to your beliefs and principles even in the face of danger, that you'll defend me and others like me. I feel so lucky to call you my boyfriend, to have you on my side."

James can't help the rush of joy that floods through him. He loves when she talks about him like this, like she is proud of him. "Lily, I'll always love you, and I will never stop trying to protect you." He promises her.

"I know that, James –" She begins and he can hear the reprimand in her voice.

"I also know though," he says cutting her off. "That you can defend yourself and can definitely hold your own in a duel." He says smirking. "You're the reason we got away Lily, don't forget that."

"We both did our parts. Which is why, I think we could handle ourselves just as well in the same situation again."

"I agree that we both have the ability and the strength to join the fight when we leave school, Lily. I'm only worried that it's the right thing. Haven't you wanted to be a Healer since second year?"

"Yes, I want to be a Healer. But for several months now it has seemed less and less important. There are many people out there who have the ability to be a Healer, many who have the ambition to do so. There aren't many like us James, who will fight for what's right. And there are none that have what we have." She says reaching across the table to hold his hands in hers. "I think that's why Dumbledore offered this to us together, because he knows that our love for one another is our greatest strength in this fight."

James nods, only half understanding. _Sure Voldemort, evil as his is, can't understand love. But how does that make it our greatest strength against him?_

"It's going to be dangerous, Lily. What we went through last night, or worse, all the time. Are you sure you want that?" He knows that she can handle it, knows she will be better in a fight than almost any wizard out there, but he doesn't want that life for her. He doesn't want to see her be put in danger, time and time again.

"I want to fight." She tells him defiantly. "I need to fight, James. I need to stand up to him. Show him that Muggle-borns are just as good as any other witch or wizard. I need to be out there, helping, fighting for those I love. He isn't just a threat to those I love here in the wizarding world, James. He's a threat to my family in the Muggle world as well. I need to help put a stop to him. I want to fight."

He can see the determination in her eyes and he knows that she will not be swayed. In truth, this is one of the many reason he loves her so much. He is both proud of, and anxious for, her. "I understand why you want to fight Lily, and I agree with you. I always intended to fight. I don't think it will be as an Auror anymore though. I think I'll be joining the Order, Lily, with you." He says and she gives his hands a squeeze.

"So, we'll fight. But we'll do it together. Agreed?" He asks and she nods.

"Agreed."

He looks at her, analyzing her face, looking for any hint of uncertainty. He doesn't find any.

"It seems so real now. The future." She says and looks away from him.

"It does, but that isn't really a bad thing. We need to be thinking about the future more." He says watching her face. He certainly is making all sorts of plans. "But, we need to get going. We have to make an appearance in Gryffindor Tower before patrol." She nods and he leads her to their common room, plans for the future swimming in his head.

-L-3-J-

The following week brings the most draining full moon that any of them had been through yet. When they get back to their dormitory, they collapse into their beds before Lily can even ask if they're ok.

James feels her climb into bed next to him and he wraps his arm around her, pulling her close. "Remind me to kiss you when I wake up." She chuckles and pulls his glasses off before snuggling in closer to him.

James wakes a few hours later to Professor McGonagall's voice. He sits up quickly, confused as to what was going on. _Is she here for Lily? Does she know she's here? Does she know we snuck out last night? Does she know we let Remus out? Does she know we're Animargi?_

"Mr. Black!" McGonagall says loudly.

James looks sideways at Lily and she looks panicked. He spots the cloak on the floor next to his bed and he pulls it up slowly and hands it to her. She puts it on without hesitating and disappears from sight. James then opens his curtains, allowing Lily to escape through the open door.

"Professor?" James asks putting on his glasses. She turns to him. "What's going on?" He asks.

"I am trying to wake Mr. Black, but it's proving to be more difficult than I imagined."

"Don't worry, Professor. It's not just you. It is impossible to wake him after a fu-" James stops himself quickly. He had almost said full moon. "Fun night of studying." He finishes quickly, not meeting his Professor's piercing stare.

"How do you suggest I wake him then, Potter?" She asks still looking suspicious.

James smirks and steps behind Sirius curtain. He pushes Sirius off his bed with a loud thump. He hears McGonagall's exasperated sigh. "I could have done that, Potter." She says angrily.

"Sorry, it's the only way." He tells her innocently, heading over to his trunk to get clean clothes, letting her alone to talk to Sirius.

"Good Morning, Mr. Black." She says.

"Uh, morning, Professor." Sirius says rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"I'm afraid I am not here on pleasant terms." She says and conjures up two chairs.

James looks over at his friend concerned. _What on earth is going on?_

"What is it, Professor?" Sirius asks.

"Perhaps you would like to give us a little privacy, Mr. Potter." McGonagall says and James nods, heading to the bathroom.

"No, it's ok, whatever you have to say, you can say in front of James." Sirius says and James can tell that he obviously thinks that he's in some kind of trouble. Ordinarily James would agree, but by the way McGonagall is acting he's sure it something more sinister.

"Very well." She says turning away from James to look at Sirius again. "Sirius, it is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that your Uncle Alphard passed away last night." She says and James' eyes snap back to Sirius.

"He what?" Sirius asks as if he hadn't heard.

"The Healers say it was a heart attack." She tells him sadly. Sirius sits down in the chair McGonagall had conjured, staring out into space.

A wave of sadness crashes over James. Not only because of the death of an extremely entertaining man, but also for his best friend. Sirius had just lost his only blood relative that he actually liked. The only blood relative he actually claimed. James walks over to his friend and grasps his shoulder tightly.

"Does Regulus know?" Sirius asks.

"Professor Slughorn is informing him this morning." McGonagall tells him. "We haven't heard word from your mother on funeral arrangements, but I'm sure they are set for this week sometime." She informs him.

James feels his friend tense. "She won't care that Uncle Al died." He says and McGonagall doesn't look shocked. James knows that Sirius mother couldn't have been too pleased that Alphard was the only member of the Black Family that Sirius kept in touch with after he ran away.

"We'll keep watch for any information on the date and time for you, Sirius." McGonagall promises. "You will obviously be given permission to attend. If you would like James to accompany you, he will also be allowed to go." His favorite professor tells them and looks up at James with sadness in her eyes.

"Thank you, Professor." He says. She gets up to leave, apologizing to Sirius once more.

"Professor?" Sirius asks almost inaudible before she can leave the room.

"Yes, Sirius?"

"Thank you for telling me." He says and James can hear the sorrow in his voice.

"You're welcome, Sirius." Then she closes the door silently behind her, leaving James and Sirius alone.

Neither speaks for a moment and James takes her abandoned chair. "You are coming, right mate?" Sirius asks and James knows that he means to the funeral.

"Course I am." James says as if it is obvious.

"Good. He'd have liked that. He always liked you." Sirius says.

"He had good taste."

Sirius chuckles and then his face turns somber again. "I can't believe he's gone."

James nods. "I know, mate."

"He wasn't that old, James. A heart attack and he was only in his fifties."

"It's a tragedy." James concurs.

"He lived alone in his flat, James. All alone. He must have died that way."

James shakes his head. "You know Al. He probably had some random bird with him." James says with a smile, knowing that like his nephew, Alphard never lacked when it came to women. Sirius chuckles again a real smile playing on his lips.

"You're probably right. I'm sure she was half his age as well." Sirius says. "I hope she was a Muggle." James laughs now.

"Merlin, I don't know how I'm going to sit through an entire funeral with my family." Sirius says, covering his face with his hands.

"I'll be there to keep you from hexing anyone." James promises.

"Thanks, Prongs."

-L-3-J-

McGonagall finds them a few hours later in the Hospital Wing. James, Sirius, Lily and Peter are all sitting around Remus bed, talking about their favorite memories of Alphard. She informs Sirius and James that the funeral is set for the next day and gives them the location. She leaves with another reassuring squeeze of Sirius' shoulder and they return to their topic of conversation.

"Do you remember the summer before third year when you went with me to visit him, Prongs?" Sirius asks and James chuckles.

"How can I forget? That was only the second time I met him, yeah?" James says.

"Must have been. Didn't stop him from giving us a good view of his latest bird."

"Merlin, she was attractive." James says, smiling fondly at the memory and Lily raises his eyebrows at him. "What? I was thirteen!" James protests and she laughs. The others join in.

"Well I know my favorite memory of your Uncle Al, Padfoot. I doubt it's one that any of you know." She says with a smirk. They all turn to listen to her. "It was at the New Year's party this year. I was just coming back from the loo when he stopped me. I knew who he was because James pointed him out to me when he came in. He asked me who I was and I introduced myself." She grins.

"He gave me this wide grin and said. 'oh, this is just brilliant.' He called over one of his buddies and told him who I was. Then he said something I'll never forget. 'Eh Dave, isn't it something? Martha used to be a spunky red-head back in the day as well. These Potter men just can't keep their hands off 'em.'"

Lily finishes her story and everyone grins at James. "Well, he wasn't wrong."

Sirius, Peter and Remus erupt in laughter and Lily continues the story. "Then he called me Red for the rest of the night. He even had some of his friends calling me Red as well."

"I remember that." Sirius says staring at the ground fondly, mind far away from the present.

"I'm going to miss him." Peter says quietly and everyone nods in agreement.

-L-3-J-

The next morning, James and Sirius walk down the familiar path to Hogsmeade in their funeral robes, ready to face the somber day.

James had kissed Lily goodbye and told her that he planned on taking Sirius out for a drink in the Three Broomsticks after the funeral so she wouldn't worry. When they are clear of the Hogwarts gate Sirius and James turn on the spot together and apparate to the cemetery where most of the Black Family has been laid to rest.

"Are we the first to arrive?" Sirius asks. James doesn't want to admit it to Sirius, but he has a feeling that they may be the only ones to attend. Even Sirius' brother had stayed behind at school.

When the small reedy man opens up a small book and begins to give a eulogy of Alphard Black's life, James sees three people approaching them. He doesn't recognize the trio but the slender woman with light brown hair looks oddly familiar to James. Next to her, holding her hand is a tall man with very fair hair and in his arms, a small girl. She looks to be about four or five years-old and her hair as black as night, matching her very formal funeral robes.

James nudges Sirius and his friend looks up to see them approach. He smiles at the woman as she stands on his other side and clasps his hand in hers. The rest of the funeral goes off normally with a few sobs from the woman holding Sirius' hand and a few stray tears slipping silently down Sirius' face as well.

They walk back towards the gates of the cemetery in silence until Sirius speaks up. "Thank you for coming Andromeda." He says and the women smiles. James understands now. Andromeda Black, Sirius' cousin. She's the one who married a Muggle-born and was disowned.

"I loved Uncle Al. He was always my favorite."

Sirius grins. "Mine as well."

"I suppose since your mum isn't here they finally had enough of each other?"

"Yeah, she must have blast him off the tapestry same time she did me. They always disliked him for keeping in touch with you, but when I ran away and stayed in contact with him, I suppose it was the last straw."

Andromeda nods. "Sorry, how rude of me. This is my husband Ted and our daughter Nymphadora." Andromeda introduces and James smiles as the little girl pokes her head out from her curtain of dark locks. "This is my cousin Sirius, Ted." Andromeda introduces.

"James Potter." James says holding out his hand to shake both of Andromeda's and Ted's.

"Ah yes, I've heard many stories, James." Andromeda says with a small smile.

"Dromeda, why don't we all go get something to eat and catch up?" Ted suggests.

"That would be wonderful." Sirius says turning to Ted. "Do you know the Three Broomsticks?"

Ted chuckles and looks at his wife. "I believe we've been there a time or two."

The five of them apparate into Hogsmeade, Nymphadora in her father's arms.

"I hate that daddy!" The young girl protests and James looks over to smile at her just as her hair turns a brilliant green.

"Whoa!" James says taking a step back.

"Sorry, I should have warned you. Nymphadora is a metamorphmagus." Andromeda explains with a chuckle.

James relaxes and smiles at the little girl. "That's brilliant!" He says and she returns his smile before giggling and burying her head into her father's shoulder.

Laughing the five of them make their way to the Three Broomsticks. When they enter James smiles broadly and claps his best friend on the shoulder. Sitting at the bar smiling back at them sits Lily, Remus and Peter. Lily hands them both a glass and then gives Sirius a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius. We wish we could have been there with you. But since we couldn't we decided to come here and share a bottle of firewhiskey to send off your Uncle's memory the way he would have liked." She tells him.

Sirius grins at her and looks over his shoulder at his cousin. "He would have loved this." Andromeda agrees.

James smiles and Rosmerta comes over to them. "Sorry for your loss, dear." She says and Sirius smirks at her.

"Thanks, Rosie."

"Today only, you may call me that. Tomorrow it's back to Rosmerta or you aren't allowed back in my pub." She warns.

James, Remus and Peter chuckle and all five of them make their way to a private room in the back of the pub with Andromeda, Ted and Nymphadora following behind.

"We don't have to stay if you already have plans, Sirius." Andromeda begins and Sirius shakes his head at her.

"Please stay, wouldn't be much of a wake with just five people." He reasons.

Nymphadora smiles sheepishly as she takes the spot next to James in the booth. Lily looks over at him with a smirk and Sirius laughs loudly. "Looks like you've been replaced, Evans." He says and Lily grins.

"I suppose I have." They all chuckle and Sirius introduces his family to them.

"This is my cousin Andromeda and her husband Ted and their daughter Nymphadora. She is a metamorphmagus." He explains and as if to demonstrate, Nymphadora makes her hair long and shaggy to match Sirius'. Peter jumps back and nearly falls from his chair but Lily and Remus exclaim in delight.

"These are my best friends. They sort of became my family, since our family is dreadful." Sirius explains. "Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin and Lily Evans." He says pointing around to them. "Lily's the one that keeps us in line." He tells his cousin and she laughs.

After a few moments of chatting, Sirius and Andromeda sit at the small table and begin to catch up. James smiles at the scene and decides to keep Nymphadora distracted so that her mother can have this time with the only family that will claim her.

"So Nymphadora, how old are you?" He asks her.

"I'm five." She tells him holding up five fingers as if to explain. Her hair changes again into a mousey brown color.

"Is this the color of hair you were born with?" He asks and she nods.

"I like it when it's blue best." She tells him and changes it to that exact color.

"Last week it was purple." Ted explains and the others smirk.

"Changes her mind often then?" Remus says with a grin.

"As she should. It's her right as a woman." Lily says.

James runs his hand through his messy hair and picks up his glass to take a sip and everyone laughs. He looks down to see that Nymphadora has changed her hair again to match his hair exactly.

"Do you like my hair, Nymphadora?" James asks her.

"I like the color, but it's very messy. Why don't you comb it?" She asks him and all the others, except for Ted, burst out laughing.

"Nymphadora, that isn't very polite." Her father scolds but James waves him off.

"I think it's brilliant." He says. "You're right. I should run a comb through it, but it might just get stuck." She laughs. Ted smiles at his daughter and goes to join his wife and Sirius at their table.

James enjoys chatting and joking with the young girl. He transfigures his napkin into small figurines while Remus changes their colors for her amusement. He sees Lily out of the corner of his eye watching him. He turns to grin at her but Nymphadora pulls on the collar of his robes and he leans down so she can whisper to him.

"He looks like a rat." Nymphadora says nodding to Peter and James laughs loudly.

"That's what he's best known for." James says very lowly.

"He looks tired." She says and James knows she's talking about Remus, who does in fact look like he's about to fall asleep.

"He had a rough couple of nights." James whispers back.

"She's pretty." She tells him and James smirks at his girlfriend.

"Yes, she is." He agrees and Lily looks at him questioningly.

"Is she your wife?" The girl whispers again.

"Someday I hope she will be." He whispers back.

"My daddy said that my mummy was the most prettiest girl he ever saw and he had to marry her as soon as possible because of it." Nymphadora pronounces out loud, playing with the napkin animals.

James smirks. "That's a very smart thing to do." He says.

Sirius, Ted and Andromeda are in a deep conversation now and don't seem to be paying attention but Remus, Peter and Lily are listening raptly. "Well then, why aren't you married to her?" Nymphadora protests. "Is she not the prettiest girl you ever saw?"

Lily goes red and James meets her eyes. "She is indeed the prettiest woman I've ever seen." He says and looks down again. Nymphadora has changed her hair to match Lily's now.

"Well, I'm not sure you can compete anymore, Lily. The hair is all you had going for you." Peter laughs.

"After all this time of him chasing after you, and you lose his affection to a five year-old." Remus says shaking his head. Lily laughs as well and James smirks.

"Nymphadora, you're the most gorgeous five year-old that has ever stepped into the Three Broomsticks." He tells her and she blushes, pulling the long curls into her face.

"Lily, are you a princess?" Nymphadora asks through her curtain of red.

"No, I'm not. But I used to want to be one when I was your age." Lily tells her.

"I'm going to be a princess when I grow up." Nymphadora announces.

James chuckles and Lily scowls at him. "What kind of princess are you going to be?"

Nymphadora looks up at her excited and then turns on James. "Scoot over so that Lily can sit with us!" She scolds.

James looks up shocked to meet Remus' eyes. Remus gives him a stern look and shakes his head at him, as if he were disappointed. James complies and scrunches up in the corner so that Lily can sit in the booth with Nymphadora between them.

"I want to be a princess like Cinderella." Nymphadora tells her.

"I used to want to be Cinderella as well." Lily admits. James exchanges a glance with Remus and Peter who both shrug, none of them knowing what a Cinderella is.

"You know what though, Nymphadora?" Lily says. "You're already cooler than Cinderella. Sure she gets to wear a pretty dress and go to a ball, but can she change her hair to be whatever she wants it to be?" Nymphadora shakes her head and as she shakes it, it transforms. Long golden-colored hair is in the place of the red curls and she smiles.

"I wanted to be a princess right up until I found out that I'm a witch. Witches are infinitely better than princesses." Lily promises her and the two girls talk about all the cool things a witch can do that a princess can't.

After awhile, Nymphadora yawns wide and lays back onto James, her eyes closing.

"Poor girl, she looks exhausted." Lily says brushing the long blonde hair from her face.

"We better be going." Ted says smiling over at his daughter. It was so nice to meet you all." He says walking over to the booth. James lifts up Nymphadora and hands her to her father. She barely stirs as she is carried from the room.

"James, I wanted to thank you for taking Sirius into your home and also, for being there today. Uncle Al would have appreciated it." James nods and gives Andromeda hug.

"It was nothing." He promises her and then sits back down in the booth snuggling close to Lily.

Sirius walks his cousin out of the pub and returns quickly pulling up a chair. "Thanks mates, for being here today." He says.

"Nowhere else we'd rather be." Remus says and claps him on the shoulder.

They toast to Uncle Alphard once more before the five of them make their way back to Hogwarts. Lily and James fall behind holding hands as they walk.

"I was really impressed at how well you got on with Nymphadora." She tells him.

"She's a cool little kid isn't she?" He smiles.

Lily nods. "What was she whispering to you about?"

"She said she thought Moony looked tired and that Wormtail looks like a rat." He tells her with a grin.

"I can see why you thought it was so funny." She laughs. "What did she say after that?"

James grins again. "She said that you were pretty and I agreed with her." He tells her honestly. He leaves out the part about her being his wife. She doesn't need to know everything, not just yet anyway.

"Thank you for doing this." He tells her and she looks up at him.

"Doing what?"

"Sneaking into Hogsmeade to do this for Padfoot. I think he really appreciated you all being there for him."

Lily smiles up at him. "He would've done the same for me." James nods knowing that it's true.

He gives her a good night kiss in the common room and follows his mates up to bed, exhausted.

* * *

**A/N – Well, I hope you like it :-) **

**Thought and feedback and lovely reviews are always appreciated. **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N – Just a quick note about the last chapter: According to JKR, Remus was, roughly, thirteen years Tonks' senior. Sorry if that offends anyone, but it really shouldn't. Because he didn't have feelings for her when she was five, when they got together they were both consenting adults. **

_Thoughts will be in italics.**  
The Marauder's Map will be in bold italics.**_

* * *

James sits at the lunch with his friends the Friday before the Easter Holiday begins, laughing when a small girl no older than third year approaches them.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Re-Re-Remus Lupin and Sirius Bl-Bl-Black." The girl stutters handing Remus and Sirius their notes. The girl lets out a nervous little squeal as Sirius smiles at her and takes his note before she rushes off to the other end of the table.

"Dumbledore wants to see me in his office right after dinner." Sirius says frowning at the note.

"He wants to see me at eight." Remus says looking equally as confused.

"Wonder what he wants?" Sirius ponders out loud.

James thinks he has a pretty good idea why Dumbledore wants to see them. Neither he nor Lily has talked about the Order since the night Dumbledore had asked them to join, but he imagines she'd agree with him that Sirius and Remus will both be invited to join the Order just as they were.

_Wonder if we'll be allowed to talk to them about it after they know?_ He ponders. _It'd be good to discuss with them what we'll be doing after Hogwarts. None of them know that I no longer want to be an Auror._

"That's strange." Peter comments. "Usually Prongs and I get notes as well if it's something that warrants Dumbledore's involvement."

James knows that Peter is imagining Sirius and Remus getting into trouble for a prank. _Poor Wormtail. He'll feel so left out if he's the only one of us who doesn't join the Order._

James pretends that he has no idea what it's about either and turns to Beth to discuss the Quidditch practice they're having later that night. It's the last one before break and he wants to teach them some new moves. Lily and Mary join them at the table then and Quidditch is gone from his mind.

"Hi." He says, kissing her as she takes the empty seat on his right.

"Hi." She says, and reaches for some food.

"Are you excited for next week, James?" Mary asks him before biting into her sandwich.

James swallows hard and sets down his fork. He's extremely nervous for the next week. Lily and he will be spending the first week of the holidays with her family and the rest of break with his family. He isn't exactly sure why he's so nervous for this. He met her parents before, even stayed in their house before. But this is different. So much has happened since the last time he had seen them. He knew he was in love with Lily back then, but it wasn't as intense as it is now. And he didn't know that she loves him back. He certainly didn't have the same plans for the future that he has now.

"Yeah, I'm excited." He answers and he knows his voice conveys his nerves.

"Nervous, mate?" Remus asks.

"He'll be fine." Lily answers before he can. "My parents love him." James smiles at her. He likes to hear that, but it does little to ease his worries.

-L-3-J-

That night after Quidditch, James walks back to Gryffindor Tower with Beth.

"So... you and Barry living together, are you excited?" James asking remembering what Lily had told him that morning about how over break Beth would be moving all of her things from her parents' house into Barry's flat.

"Yeah, he's so great. My parents are a little depressed as you can imagine, but I'll see them on Easter. We have to split holidays between his parents and mine, and my parents get Easter."

James nods. "Do you like his family?"

"Oh yes, they're great. His mum's a little cold but his dad is, well, exactly like Barry." She continues to gush about Barry's family for three floors before turning to him. "But enough about what's going on with me. Tell me about how you're feeling. Are you still nervous about spending the holiday with Lily's family?" James feels his stomach give an uneasy quiver.

"A little, but I'm getting more excited now." He lies. He feels nothing but anxious.

"She told me this afternoon how excited she is. She says her parent's love you, so don't worry." James just nods. "And she says she's excited to show you the town she grew up in. She said you didn't get to see much last time you visited."

"Yeah, I'm excited to see that stuff too. We didn't have much time with the wedding and everything. Her family is so-" James stops in his tracks and stares at the figure emerging from behind a suit of armor in front of them.

"They won't like you, Potter. You know that right?" Snape says in a mocking voice pulling his wand from his robes. "Lily's family hates magic. They're Muggles. They don't care about this world or anyone in it."

James tries to keep his temper in check as he too pulls his wand out, just as a precaution. "You must not know them very well Snivelly, or maybe they just don't like slim balls like you, but Lily says they love me."

Snape sneers. "You think everyone adores you, Potter, but you're wrong. Even Lily knows what an arrogant arsehole you are."

"Lily knows I have changed, unlike you. You'll always be the same greasy Dark Arts obsessed git that you've always been."

Beth has been slowly moving backwards from the confrontation, and is now cowering next to one of the suits of armor looking scared. She has never been the bravest Gryffindor, and stories of what the Slytherins are capable of scared all the girls in Hogwarts.

"You may put on an act that has fooled her for now, Potter, but you'll always know deep down that you aren't good enough for her. You know that she deserves better than the likes of you."

"You think you deserve her Snivellus?" James asks menacingly. "You don't even deserve to speak her name. She was your friend, she cared for you, and you couldn't even give up your precious Dark Arts for her. You turned on her in favor of your Death Eater pals. She knows what you truly are now and it disgusts her." He snarls at Snape.

James knows he's being harsh but he doesn't care. He hates this boy in front of him. Hates who he is and what he stands for. Hates that he had wormed his way into Lily's heart, even if she had only been nine years-old at the time. Snape doesn't reply but hurls a hex at James. James deflects it easily and soon they are dueling.

Just as he has so many times before, James defeats Snape effortlessly. He has him on the ground, unable to move because of the full body bind curse. He walks over to crouch next to him, making sure Snape is listening to him.

"Don't ever talk about Lily ever again, Snape." James says in a dangerously low voice. "I never want to hear her name pass through those repulsive lips ever again. Do you understand me?" He asks before removing the curse and backing away from him. When he reaches Beth he turns his head away from Snape.

"Look out!" She calls and James ducks just in time to miss Snape's curse. James raises his wand again turning back to him.

"Haven't you had enough yet?" He asks angrily, unable to understand why he continues on when he knows he'll lose. Snape just stares furiously at him before backing up slowly. When he's out of sight again James turns back to Beth.

"Are you alright?" He asks her.

"Of course, I was just worried about you. I hear he can get pretty nasty in a duel." She says practically shaking with fear.

"I'm sure that's true, but he can't get too carried away. We're in school still. Besides, he's nothing compared to Voldemort." Beth flinches a little at the name but otherwise ignores his comment and they walk up to Gryffindor Tower in silence.

When they reach the Fat Lady, James starts to back away from her. "I just remembered I have to go to the library. I have a Runes essay. Tell Lily I'll catch up with her before patrol." He says lamely and continues on his was back down the hall.

He knows it's a poor excuse and that Lily will see right through it, but he doesn't care. He just needs one hour to carry out the plan he has been forming in his head on the walk back to the common room.

* * *

Lily and Mary are sitting in the common room having a laugh at the prank that Remus and Peter are planning to pull on Sirius the next evening, when Beth returns from Quidditch practice. Lily looks around the crowded common room, eagerly searching for James. Usually he comes and says hello before finding his friends.

"How was Quidditch?" Mary asks her.

"It was fine, but it's what happened _after_ Quidditch that's really exciting." Beth says in a whisper.

"What happened?" Lily asks, both her and Mary leaning in to listen to Beth's story.

"Well, James and I were walking back from practice and were talking about the holidays, when out of nowhere Snape pops up. He must have been listening in, because he immediately started insulting James about how your family will hate him and how he isn't good enough for you." Beth pauses to take a breath and Lily holds hers, waiting to hear the rest.

"When James started throwing insults back, Snape lost it and it turned into a duel. James won of course, and he lifted his jinx and tried to walk away but Snape hurled another curse at him. It was so scary."

Mary gasps clasping her hand over her mouth in horror and Lily feels panic welling up inside her. "Is James ok? Is he hurt, Beth?"

"James is fine. He was brilliant. Snape wasn't hurling the usual jinxes or curses at him either, but he deflected and dodged them faster than I've ever seen. He got us away quickly after that, but on the way back he said he had to go to the library to work on a Runes essay, said he would catch up with you before patrol." Beth explains and Mary looks at her shocked.

"Oh no, James in the library. That's not good." She says.

"What's wrong with that?" Beth asks confused.

"James never spends time if the library if he can avoid it." Mary explains as if it were obvious.

"Besides, we don't have a Runes essay to be working on. It's the last day of term." Lily says, her mind reeling. _He probably went after Snape to finish their duel._

"I have to go find him." She tells her friends. "I can't believe he's still getting into fights with Snape after all that's happened." She adds more to herself than to them.

"Lily, it really wasn't his fault. Snape threw the first insult and the first hex. James kept trying to back away. Snape just wouldn't let up." Beth tries to explain.

"I know that, but I just can't believe that he's still letting Snape wind him up with insults about me. James knows how I feel. He should know that Snape is just trying to get a rise out of him."

"Well," Mary begins, "surely you can see his side of it can't you? You can understand why he'd be jealous of Snape, if anyone?"

Lily doesn't understand this, she looks at Mary puzzled waiting for her to explain. "Snape was the first person you knew from this world. He taught you who you are. You can understand why that might seem like a pretty significant thing to James. He probably is jealous that he couldn't be that person for you."

"That is just insane! I didn't even know James then." Lily protests.

"Exactly!" Beth says seemly understanding what Mary is getting at. "It must be really hard for him to face those insults from someone who once knew you so well. They have to cut deeper than if someone like Todd said them."

Lily's head is spinning. What they're saying makes sense, but it also doesn't. "I still need to find him." She says and walks away from them, heading up the boy's staircase.

"Where's the map?" She asks, barging into The Marauder's dormitory without knocking.

"Oy, Evans! You mind?" Sirius shouts from behind his closed curtains and Lily hears a girl squeal.

"Sorry Padfoot, but I need to find the map." She says not stopping in her search. She finally locates it on Peter's bedside table. "Carry on!" She calls closing the door behind herself.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Lily whispers the second she is back in the hall and the map starts to reveal itself to her. She searches for James' dot frantically for a few moments before spotting it in very familiar unused classroom on the second floor, and his dot is not alone.

The name Dirk Creswell is written above the dot standing next to James'. Lily doesn't know much about Dirk Creswell other than that he's a sixth year prefect from Ravenclaw. It's such a random person for James to be meeting with. Dirk isn't on patrol tonight. He doesn't even play Quidditch, so they can't be going over strategies or anything.

Lily makes her way down to the second floor. She rarely ever eavesdrops on purpose, but this seems so strange to her that she can't resist. Usually if something was bothering James, he'd tell her outright. He never hides from her. She approaches the door to the classroom slowly, not making any noise. She can hear them talking inside and she presses her ear to door to listen.

"She wouldn't have invited you to stay with them if she didn't think her parents liked you." Dirk was saying.

"But that's just it, what if they only liked me before because they thought I was a passing ship. What if they didn't think Lily would date me long-term or anything and now they are annoyed that they have to get to know me better." James says and it's hard to ignore the apprehension in his voice.

_He's talking about me and how he's nervous about going home to stay with my parents._

"I'm sure that's not it." Dirk says. "And if it is, show them that you're just as good, if not better, long-term."

"Thanks for the help, Dirk. Please don't tell anyone else about this. I don't want it getting around." He says and Lily can hear them standing up.

"No problem. Thanks for helping me land Jasmine. It was really cool of you considering one of your best mates used to date her."

"It was nothing, they weren't serious. Remus would've done the same thing."

"Alright well have a nice holiday, James. Good luck."

"Thanks." James calls again.

Lily backs away quickly and silently as she hears footsteps getting closer to the door. As soon as they fade away Lily checks the map again to see James still in the room. She walks through the open door and he looks up at her surprised.

"Lily! I, uh, just finished my essay and I decided to come in here for some quiet." He says and she raises her eyebrows at him. "Yeah, I didn't think you would believe that. You always see through my excuses."

"Why are you hiding from me?" She asks him, not wanting to waste any more time on nonsense.

He looks up at her sadly. "Beth told you about what happened after Quidditch then? You're not mad?"

"I was at first." She admits. "But then she explained what he said and how he continued to throw hexes at you even after you tried to walk away."

"How did you find me?" He asks and smiles as she holds up the map and sets it down on the desk next to him.

"You may want to steer clear of your dormitory for a while. Sirius is bunkered up there with a girl."

"Stealing the map, how marauding of you." He says dryly.

"I just borrowed it. I had every intention of returning it to you when I found you." She tells him.

"How long ago did you find me?" He asks her. She can tell by the tone of his voice that what he really is asking is: 'how much did you hear?_'_

"I got here a while ago." She admits.

"And you decided to spy?" He asks sounding angry.

"I wasn't spying!" She says gaining some of her own anger. "Besides, if you would've just told me what you are thinking then I wouldn't have had to track you down." She says crossing her arms over her chest, letting him know she won't back down.

"Well maybe I don't feel comfortable talking about it just yet." He says standing.

"You were comfortable enough to talk to Dirk about it." She points out.

"I needed to talk to someone who could explain to me what to do!" He says as if it were obvious.

"What do you mean?" She asks him thoroughly confused. _He has met my parents before. Why would he need that explained to him?_

"I wasn't sure what the proper protocol is for all this. It's new to me."

This makes no sense to her. James has already met her parents, stayed in their home even. She can't understand why this is so different, why he's so nervous now. It must be just because they would be the center of attention. This trip would be about their stay alone. Petunia won't be there, all the attention will be on them.

"Why not Padfoot or Moony?" Lily asks, knowing that they aren't the take-home-to-meet-the-parent's kind of blokes, but are still his best friends. Certainly he'd prefer to talk to them over someone he hardly knows, like Dirk.

"Dirk is Muggle-born, Lily. Surely you know that."

That registers with Lily. _That's why he's so nervous_. Sure the other stuff plays its part, but it's mainly because her parents are Muggles.

"Why not ask me?" She asks, feeling a little sad that he can't confide in her.

"Because I wanted to surprise you." _He wants to surprise me by impressing my parents? He's already impressed them. Haven't I told him this already?_

"James, listen, I know you are upset about what Snape said, but you shouldn't listen to him. He's just a horrid person who is trying to wind you up." James looks taken aback by her words but she supposes he's just shocked to hear her be so blunt. "There is no difference in the protocol than there was last time. You just have to be yourself around them."

His face seems to lighten, the anger being replaced with relief. "Is that all that you are worried about?" She asks and James smiles widely. She doesn't understand how he could go from such anger to such happiness.

"Yes." He says confidently. "I just didn't know if I had to do anything differently. I just want to fit in with them, make sure they like me." He says giving her a sheepish smile.

"James, you don't have to worry, my parents already like you, a lot. My mum told me in her last letter that she can't wait to get to know you better." James smiles as he sits back down on the desk.

"That's good, because I want to get to know them better as well."

Lily smiles at him, knowing that she's forgiven for eavesdropping. She can afford to be curious now. "What did Dirk mean when he said you helped him land Jasmine?"

"Oh, at the beginning of the year I saw them flirting all the time and when I helped him patrol that one night, remember, I asked him about her. He said he liked her but was having trouble thinking of a way to ask her out. So, I told him to figure out her favorite flower and then get a bouquet of them. Then stand at the bottom of the girl's staircase with the flowers and when she comes down, give them to her and ask her to Hogsmeade. Next thing you know, they're dating." James says and grins at his matchmaking.

"How did you know it would work?" Lily asks, amazed.

"It's a Marauder tactic that is almost one hundred percent effective. It's only failed once." James says and gives her a knowing smile. Lily smiles too as she remembers in their fifth year how James stood at the bottom of the girl's staircase with a bouquet of beautiful white lilies.

"Sorry, I was rather rude to you." She says and laughs as she remembers bashing him over the head with the bouquet.

"It's ok." He says chuckling. "I was an arrogant berk. It took me hours to get all those petals out of my hair." He says and then he is laughing as well.

She walks over to stand in front him and he wraps his hands around her waist, pulling her in closer. "I love you." He says.

"I love you too." She tells him and he kisses her.

If either of them had been paying attention to the map, they would have seen Filtch coming down the corridor.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" He says coming into the classroom.

Lily jumps and turns to face him guiltily, surely it's past curfew by now. _But, I'm Head Girl._ She reminds herself. _I can say we're patrolling._ It will be hard to pull off, considering that Filtch had caught them in a close embrace, but not impossible.

James, who had stayed still and silent until this, whispers almost inaudibly "mischief managed" taping his wand to the map. Lily looks down at it to see that it had been wiped clean. _Smart. He always keeps a clear head in these situations._ She thinks enviously.

"Sorry we bothered you, Mr. Filtch. We were just on our way to do our final patrol for the evening." James explains.

"If you were just patrolling, Potter, than I'm a flubber worm. It's just sad to see you bring Miss Evans down with you."

"Are you accusing the Head Girl and Boy of lying?" James asks raising his eyebrows skeptically.

"I – you –" Filtch splutters. "What have you got there, Potter?" He asks reaching forward for the map.

"Not sure, it was there when we arrived." James lies casually. Filtch looks hungrily over the paper.

"Why would a blank piece of parchment just be lying around an unused classroom?" He asks voice getting more excited.

"Stranger things have happened." Lily says, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I bet there's something written on this in invisible ink. You two come with me, I have a revealer in my office. You may have just stumbled into a plot! This is probably another note like the last one I found!" Filtch says excitedly.

Lily glances at James as they follow Filtch out of the classroom. She's surprised to see his expression. He looks as if he's about to burst from silent laughter. She raises her eyebrows at him questioningly but he just shakes his head, indicating that he can't speak without laughing. She too finds it amusing that Filtch can be so clueless, but not nearly as much as James seems to.

When they reach Filtch's office James holds the door open for Lily and takes a seat next to her in the two chairs in front of his desk. They wait as he finds his revealer and Lily starts to get worried. _Will a revealer work on the map? Are James and the others about to get into trouble? Surely they would've thought of this. Besides, James would look more concerned and not amused if he thought his secret was about to be revealed. _She watches him shake with silent laughter. Lily can't understand what is so funny about the situation.

Filtch sits down at his desk, revealer in hand, and smirks as he rubs the small eraser across the map eagerly. Lily's amazed to see ink appear across the parchment, but not the lines and dots of the map. Words are being slowly written in lopsided handwriting that looks familiar to her.

_**Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Mr. Filtch and begs him and his filthy cat to keep out of other people's businesses.**_

Lily stares at the words, Remus' words, and a wide grin crosses her face. The map continues on and more words start appearing under Remus', this time she recognizes the handwriting at once. _James'._

_**Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony and would like to add that Mr. Filtch is a nosy prat**._

She's trying very hard not to laugh now. James actually has to stuff his fist in his mouth so as to not let out his laughter.

_**Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that Mr. Filtch can even read.**_

Lily is shaking with silent laughter now. James looks like he's going to burst when the map has its final word.

_**Mr. Wormtail would like to bid Mr. Filtch a good night, and begs him to buy a new tail coat, the slob.**_

Lily moves her hand up to cover her mouth, unable to hold the laughter in much longer.

"Right." Filtch says snatching up the paper, trying to hide it from view. "This is obviously a dark artifact that's extremely dangerous. I must confiscate it." He says shoving the map into a drawer in his filing cabinet. "Thank you both for your help, you're no longer needed!" Filtch nearly shouts at them, clearly embarrassed.

Lily and James didn't need telling twice, they're out of the office and down the hall within seconds. As soon as they hear Filtch's office door slam closed again, they finally let their laughter out.

"I've never seen it actually happen to anyone." James says gasping for air, still laughing.

"That was amazing. How did you get it to insult him?" Lily asks, knowing that such things exist, but knowing that they're never that specific. James smiles and pulls off his glasses to wipe the tears from his eyes that had come with all the laughter.

"We wrote most of it generically." He tells her putting his glasses back on, still chuckling. "It just fills in the blanks with specific insults to whoever is trying to read it."

"Truly ingenious. You still surprise me daily." She tells him looking up at him in awe.

James smiles and takes her hand before bringing it up to his lips and kissing it softly. "Come on, we have to finish the patrol. I want to get back to the Tower. The others have to hear about this." He says with a smile.

They find all of their friends sitting around the fire in the common room except Sirius. Lily assumes he's still preoccupied by his newest girlfriend. She sits down with Mary and Beth on the couch and James sits in front of her leaning back onto her legs.

"I just want to know who she is." Beth says.

"No one knows?" James asks looking around and everyone shakes their heads.

"Well, I've had enough waiting. Let me know who it is tomorrow." Mary says getting up and heading to the girl's staircase.

"Wait up, I'm coming too. I'm exhausted." Beth says following Mary up the stairs. James gets up off the floor and stretches out on the couch with his head in Lily's lap. She smiles down at him as she plays with his hair. Lily watches as James' eyes droop and she can see him slowly falling into unconsciousness.

"I've had enough." Peter says standing up. "I am tired, I'm going up there." He says.

"Better you than me." James and Remus say at the exact same time. Remus returns to his book.

"What are you reading, Moony?" Lily asks him and sees James smile at the nickname.

"Just a boring book my dad sent me. It's supposed to prepare me for life after Hogwarts, you know, dealing with my furry-little-problem. Doubtful, but still…" He says trailing off and staring at the front cover of the book. Lily is about to respond but at that moment a blonde haired girl comes running down the boy's staircase, robes disheveled.

Sirius appears after her shouting. "Oy, Charlotte, you forgot your bra!" He says holding it out so that the all the lingering Gryffindors can see. The girl looks mortified as she snatches the black lace out of his hand.

"My name is Scarlet!" She says turning that exact color and rushing through the portrait hole. James and Remus burst out laughing and Lily pushes James off the couch.

"That hurt!" He complains from the ground.

"Serves you right." Lily says as Sirius walks over then with a smirk. Lily smacks him on the arm, hard. "And you! That was just terrible embarrassing her like that. You should be ashamed." She scolds.

Sirius looks slightly ashamed as he sits down in Peter's abandoned arm-chair. "Well, I doubt I'll be seeing her again after tonight, so it was either give it to her now, or she would never get it back." He shrugs.

"That's not exactly what I meant." She says rolling her eyes as James gets up and sits back on the couch, not laying down this time. Lily takes up his hand in hers and he pulls her closer to him so that she's leaning on his chest.

"You tell them about what happened this evening yet, Moony?" Sirius says ignoring Lily's last comment.

"Nope, didn't get a chance." He says glancing around the common room. Everyone else had gone up to bed after Sirius' show.

"Tell us about what?" James asks.

"Our notes from Dumbledore." Sirius says and Lily sits up a little straighter.

"Dumbledore told us that we could only discuss it between the four of us. We aren't supposed to tell anyone else." Remus begins. "He asked Padfoot and me both to join the Order of the Phoenix." Lily nods. She knew he would.

"I figured he would. He asked Lily and me about a month ago, right after our run in with Voldemort." James explains.

"Yeah, he told us. He said we'd all be extreme assets and he wants us to think about it and discuss it between the four of us." Sirius says.

"James and I decided that we're going to join." Lily tells them.

"We knew you would, Prongs." Sirius says.

"We weren't sure about you, Lily. Only because you wanted to be a Healer for so long." Remus says quickly, so that she wouldn't get angry or offended.

"I know." Lily begins. "But, I can always be a Healer when the war is over." She explains to them.

"Well, we both decided to join as well." Remus tells them.

"So, that's it." James says looking happy that his friends know his true plans for after Hogwarts.

"The Marauders will join the Order of the Phoenix." Sirius finishes for him.

"Well, not all the Marauders… did Dumbledore mention Peter to either of you?" Lily asks. Both boys shake their heads.

"He has to though. He has to see that Peter is on our side to the end." Remus tells her. They all nod and Sirius stands up.

"I'm going up, it's freezing down here."

"Maybe if you would wear a shirt or proper pants then it wouldn't be so cold." Lily says again and Sirius just laughs in return. Remus too stands to head for bed.

Lily feels James' lips in her hair and she smiles. "I should get you to bed as well, you must be exhausted, it's nearly two." He says.

"I am." She says stifling a yawn and leaning back so she can look up into his face. "But I promised Mary and Beth I would stay in my own dorm tonight and walk down to breakfast with them tomorrow." She tells him and he looks sulky.

"Besides, we have to get used to separate beds. My parents definitely won't let us sleep in the same room and our house isn't big enough to sneak around in like yours is." She reminds him.

"Good point." He groans.

She smiles up at him. It's funny to think that this one week is going to be hard for them both, when in a few months they'll face days without so much as seeing each other, let alone being able to sleep in the same bed.

"It'll be even worse when we leave in June." She says.

"Not for me." He tells her. "I still plan on seeing you every day anyway." He says and she grins. Before she can reply or ask questions his lips are on hers.

Eventually they break apart and he gives her one last goodnight kiss before they head up to their separate dormitories.

* * *

James wakes to Peter slamming his trunk and cursing loudly. "Oy mate, it is too early for that racket!" Sirius yells angrily.

"You lot have to get up too. You have to finish getting packed." He calls and James hears Remus groan.

"It's only seven Wormy, we have hours."

James looks at his watch to see his friend is right. Groaning he gets out of bed and pulls his bath robe on. He hates when Peter does this. Whenever he's upset he cleans and organizes the dormitory and bugs the others to do the same.

"What are you on about now?" James asks him opening his curtains.

"Yeah, why are we all up at seven on a Saturday?" Sirius asks also opening his curtains. Remus does the same and all three boys stare at Peter.

"I can't find the map. I've been looking for hours. I forgot to get my mum her chocolates and I was going to sneak out this morning to get them." He explains.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. This is a really funny story." James begins. Remus and Sirius turn to him, eager to hear it but Peter holds his hands up.

"Save the story Prongs, where's the map!?" Peter asks.

James looks over at the others to see they look just as taken aback as he feels. Peter never snaps at any of them like that, especially not at James. "The story is about the map, dolt. It's about how Lily and I got it to insult Filtch." He says grinning.

"I forgot Lily borrowed it yesterday. I was a tad preoccupied." Sirius says with a grin and James and Remus chuckle.

"What happened?" Remus asks James eagerly.

"Well, we were in the unused classroom down on the second floor having a good snog, when Filtch walked in. He saw the map sitting on one of the desks and thought it was a secret note or something. Luckily I wiped it before he got to it, but he was convinced it held some secret message." James pauses laughing again at the memory. "He hauled us off to his office and got out a revealer." James says, howling now with laughter. He can't believe he forgot to tell them about this last night, even Lily found this prank hilarious.

"What did it say?" Remus asks excitedly. James recounts for them every word the map wrote and Filtch's reaction. When he finishes the story all four boys are laughing ridiculously.

"I'm telling you, we really outdid ourselves." James says with a laugh.

"What happened to the map?" Peter asks still guffawing.

"Filtch confiscated it. He said it was obviously a dangerous dark artifact." James says and that sent him and Remus laughing again.

"Big deal, we still have the cloak." Sirius says.

"So, you're saying that you let Evans borrow the map, Padfoot. And that you let her lose it, Prongs?" Peter says angrily.

"No Wormy, it isn't like that, it could have happened to any of us." Remus says soothingly still smiling at their brilliance.

"But it didn't." Peter points out. "All of this bad stuff only started happening when he got himself a girlfriend." Peter says pointing at James. "If she wasn't involved then none of this would have happened." James looks from Remus to Sirius, they both look just as shocked and confused as he feels.

"Peter…" James begins turning to his friend.

"No, don't. You have done enough, I think." He says holding his hand up.

"Come on Wormtail, the bloke can have a girlfriend." Remus says. "We all like having Lily around. She's quite wonderful." James smiles at him in appreciation of his words.

"Yeah mate, she keeps us on our toes." Sirius says with a grin.

"Well I don't!" Peter says. "She doesn't like me. I can see it in her eyes!"

"Come on now, you know that's not true." James says exasperated. Peter is making no sense, he's being unreasonable. "Lily likes all of you." He tells him.

"I can't stand this anymore!" Peter shouts and turns away from them. James looks over at Sirius, unable to think of what to do. "When was the last time you chose us over her, huh Prongs?" Peter asks, still not looking at him.

"It's always,_ 'Lily and I did this'_ or _'I need to go meet Lily'_ or _'Lily's so wonderful'_ and I'm sick of it!" He shouts, turning again to face James.

James stands there shocked. He had never heard Peter be so vocal about something before. If it were any other situation James would be proud of him, but since it is Lily Peter is upset over, James can't hide his own anger.

"Well you know what you can do then?" James asks, almost shouting. "Get yourself a girlfriend for once and then maybe you'll understand!"

"That's not the point!" Peter bellows back before storming out of the dormitory.

James feels himself calm slightly and he looks over at his friends. "Did I go too far?" He asks.

"Nah. He'll come around mate, you know Wormy." Sirius says clapping James on the shoulder.

"I think he just needs time." Remus says sagely. "A lot has changed since Lily and you started dating. I'm sure he's still adjusting." James nods and falls back onto his pillows.

He doesn't have the time to worry about Peter and his drama today. He is going to Lily's house tonight and staying the whole week with her parents. He has to remind himself not to curse and to be polite. He has to try not to flaunt his magic. Although, Lily's father had seemed to like it when James used magic to fix his mower and clean the chimney. Now James wonders if Mr. Evans was impressed or thought James a show-off. Above all, he has to remember every single thing Dirk told him yesterday, for that's the part that makes him the most nervous.

James gets dressed and packs his trunk then heads down to breakfast with Remus and Sirius. James spots Peter sitting alone on the end of the Gryffindor table and Lily with Mary and Beth at The Marauders usual spot. He's torn for a moment, deciding who he should join, but he plops himself down across from Peter. Lily, he knows, will understand. Peter will not. Remus and Sirius join them and Peter looks up at him.

"Listen mate, I went too far back there and I apologize." James begins. "But, Lily's a big part of my life now, just like the three of you. I'd really appreciate it if you would give her a chance. She does like you." James assures his friend.

"If you say so, and I'm sorry for going off like that. I'm just stressed." He explains.

"I understand." James says smiling as he piles food onto his plate.

James had known that Peter would forgive him. Peter never stands by his convictions for long. In this instance, James is grateful of that fact. If Peter had stayed adamant about the issue, James would have been forced to choose between him and Lily. And he isn't honestly certain who he would choose. James looks over at his other two best friends. _Would I choose Lily over them?_ He wonders. He knows it'd never come to that. They would never ask him to choose, neither would Lily.

_She really is the perfect girl._ He thinks looking down the table and catching her eye. She smiles at him, concern etching her face. He knows she's wondering why he didn't join her. He smiles at her, trying to convey that he'd explain later and she seems to get it, because she nods and turns back to her friends.

When James is finished eating he walks up the table to Lily. "Sorry ladies, I must steal Miss Evans for Head Duties."

"Head Duties or a bit of snogging before heading off to the Muggle world?" Beth asks with a smirk.

James smiles wryly. "Alright, maybe a nice morning snog, then Head Duties." James admits and the girls laugh.

"I'll see you guys on the train." Lily tells her friends. "You'll sit with The Marauders right?" She asks standing up.

"Course we will." Mary says.

James holds out his hand to Lily and pulls her out onto the grounds to enjoy the warm spring morning. "What was that about this morning?" She asks.

"Wormy was upset about stupid stuff and I sort of yelled at him. I figured I had to apologize." He explains.

"What was he upset about, that we lost the map?" She asks.

"Nah, they all thought that was brilliant. Sirius says that there's a good chance that some other mischief-maker will find it now. I hope he's right." James says wistfully.

"So, what was he upset about then?"

James debates whether to tell her or not. He doesn't want her to be uncomfortable around Peter, but he doesn't want to lie. "That he doesn't have a girlfriend." James says. "But if you ask him, he'll say that I choose you over them."

Lily looks sad at this. "I don't want you to have to choose."

"There's no choice, Lily." He tells her pulling her around to face him. "He got over it quick enough, realized he was being a prat. Like I said, it's really just jealously." Lily smiles a little at this and pulls herself in closer to him. He leans down to kiss her.

"Feel like a quick snog session before Head Duties?" He asks.

"Quick? Where's the fun in that?" She asks in a sulky voice and James chuckles.

"I love you, Lily."

"I know you do." She responds and buries her face in his chest.

They stand like that for a moment before James checks his watch. "I'm afraid we actually don't have time for a snog. We have to get them lining up for the carriages."

Lily groans but gives him a smile, before taking his hand as they head back to the castle.

* * *

**A/N – Hope you enjoyed this. :-)**

Next Chapter will be James' stay at Lily's house!


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N – Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!**

**I know, I am such a flake as of late! As it turns out, ignoring a sinus infection doesn't make it go away! Who would have thought? ;-) But don't worry, I am back on track!**

**Anyway, just a quick reminder of where we are in the story:  
*****James and Lily love each other and have patronus' that are mated. They met Voldemort in a dark alley and 'once defied' him so far.  
*Sirius****' uncle Al died and he took it pretty hard, but has bounced back and is the same ole Sirius we know and love.  
*****Remus is still overburdened by this condition and refuses to let himself be truly happy because of it.  
*****Peter doesn't really like Lily and James' relationship and jealous that his friend is seemingly slipping away from him.  
*****Right now, our lovely Seventh Year Gryffindors are on the Hogwarts Express on the way back to London for the Easter holidays. James and Lily are staying with her parents for the first week, and then his family for the rest of break.**

**So, there you have it, I really hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

The train ride back to London is extremely enjoyable. It's slightly strange to know that it is one of their very last train rides to and from the school. When the conductor announces that they will be reaching King's Cross in ten minutes James feels his nerves return in full force.

"Don't worry. They love you. It's going to be fine." She promises him putting her hand on his arm soothingly.

James just nods feeling only slightly reassured by her words, still nervous for a reason that he can't explain to her. She leads him off the train and he finds them a trolley before putting both of their trunks on it. They say goodbye and see you soon to their friends before pushing their trolley towards the barrier.

"Is your dad waiting by the car again?" He asks.

"Should be. He isn't one for crowds." James nods. He could have guessed that about the man. He seems quiet and reserved.

"Let's get on with it." James says and pushes through the barrier.

"You'll do brilliantly." Lily whispers in his ear and wraps her arm around his.

"Are you sure I'm dressed ok?" He asks her. He's sporting a brown jumper with a light brown jacket and blue jeans. The clothes are comfortable and he'd seen a Muggle dressed in the same outfit in one of Sirius' magazines.

"Yes. You look very dashing." She compliments him. He smiles and gives a sigh as he pushes the trolley out into the parking lot.

Like Lily had said, her father was waiting for them in the parking lot next to the car. She's also right, as it turns out, about her parents liking him. Her father held out a hand and shook James' kindly and the whole car ride back to his house asked James and Lily about school and Quidditch and other topics he had undoubtedly overheard Lily speaking about. When they arrive at her home James helps Mr. Evans get the bags out of the car and carry them into the house.

"James dear, it's lovely to see you again!" Mrs. Evans greets him in the foyer.

"It's lovely to see you again as well Mrs. Evans. I'm so grateful you asked me to stay."

"Of course dear, of course. We set you up in the guest room this time, so you don't have to sleep on the couch."

"Thank you very much." He says.

James is shown his way up to the guest room and he settles himself in, unpacking his things before dinner. It's a small room with yellow floral design. It isn't a very manly room, but it's comfortable all the same. Though, the lack of its own bathroom is something that James will have to get used to. A knock comes at the door and he looks up to see Lily leaning against the frame.

"Hi, come on in." He says encouragingly.

She steps in and walks towards him. "It's small, I know. But it's all we have." She says sadly.

James lifts her chin up so her eyes meet hers. "It's brilliant. I love it."

"My room is right next door." She tells him.

"Oh it is?" He asks with a smirk. "Can I see it?" She nods and leads him back into the hall and into the room on its right.

Lily's room is full of bright colors and stuffed animals. There is definitely a younger feel to it, as though it hadn't changed a bit since the day she found out she is a witch. The only things hinting to the fact that Lily is not that same little girl anymore are the moving photographs on her dresser. He steps closer to look at them.

The first is of Lily, Beth and Mary giggling about something. The next is of all seven of them in the Three Broomsticks. Then the one in the front is of her and him laughing at his birthday party the year before. Then there were a few Muggle photos next to these. One of her parents on their wedding day, another of the whole Evan's family at the zoo and one of her and Petunia as children smiling with popsicles in their hands. The last of the two of them dancing at Petunia's wedding. It is the same photo her mother had given him for Christmas.

He smiles brightly and turns to her. "I love it." He tells her.

"Thanks. I didn't really want to change too much of it. I wanted to stay like the old me, since that's usually all I ever feel like here." She says and James can hear the sadness in her voice. He wants to cheer her up.

"So, this is your bed, eh?" He asks smirking as he steps closer to it. She smiles at him.

"Yes, and maybe if you're lucky you can see it up close sometime." She says in a husky voice that makes a wave of warmth rush through him.

"I would like that very much." He says matching her tone and stepping closer to her.

Just then Lily's mum calls up the stairs. "Dinner is ready you two." She says.

_What am I thinking? I can't think this way here. I can't risk it._ He thinks, stepping back from Lily and shaking his head. Even if one of them were to use the invisibility cloak the house is too small for anything to go unnoticed and Lily's parent's room is directly across from James'.

-L-3-J-

James is really enjoying his time with Lily's family. Every morning they eat breakfast together before Lily's dad heads off to work. Then Lily takes him out and shows him around her neighborhood and town. She had shown him the school she used to attend and the places she used to visit. Then they'd come home around lunchtime and help her mum with chores and things around the house.

Wednesday morning James and Lily sit on the couch, laughing about an article in 'Witch Weekly', when Mrs. Evans comes into the living room. "I am heading out to run some errands. Would you like to join me?"

James looks over at Lily and she shakes her head. "No thanks mum. I'm going to take James to a few more places around town today."

"Alright, you kids have fun. I shouldn't be gone very long." She says and to James it sounds more like a warning than anything else.

Once they hear her car pull out of the driveway Lily pulls James up and out the back door. She takes him down to her favorite ice cream shop and they get large cones and eat them as they walk to her favorite park. They sit down on the swings and continue to eat their ice cream as they lazily sway.

"This is where I first found out that I'm a witch." Lily says, not looking at James but out over the park as if seeing something that isn't there. James smiles, he loves that she is sharing all this with him, letting him in on the parts of her life that he would have never gotten to know otherwise.

"Snape told me, right over there." She says pointing to a spot about a meter away. "Petunia and I were swinging. I used to go so high, almost high enough that I would flip over, but before I did I'd always jump off and just sort of float to the ground. It drove Petunia mental. She used to get so angry and, at the time, worried about me. Well one day I did my little trick and Snape saw. He came over and told me exactly what I am and why I could do that."

James doesn't know how to react at first. He knows that boy she's talking about so fondly isn't the same person that James knows and detests. He knows this, yet he can't help being upset of her fondness for the repulsive boy.

"Can you understand how I was blind to his dark side?" She asks James, looking at him for the first time since sitting on the swings. "Can you see that because he was the one to show me who I truly am, I had a harder time seeing who he truly is?"

James ponders this for a moment. "Yes, I can understand that." He answers her, and he can. When she explains it to him like that, it makes sense as to why she wouldn't see him for what he was.

Because James had known about Dark Magic and Dark Wizards when he met Snape, it was easy for him to pick out that he was one. Lily had been told about the wizarding world from a Dark Arts obsessed git. He wouldn't have explained to her properly what Dark Arts really are, so she wouldn't have seen how he looked to the rest of the wizarding world. But James also knows that Lily took so long to see it because she didn't really want to see it.

Lily looks over at him skeptically and he smiles. "I really do understand. It makes sense when you explain it that way."

"I just don't want you to think I'm the same naïve girl that I was then." She says and James shakes his head.

"Lily, I don't think you're naïve. I doubt anyone in that situation would have acted differently. You tried your hardest to see the best in him." James tells her. It's hard for him to talk about Snape like this, so casually, when he hates the bloke.

She nods and seems satisfied before turning back to ice cream. James watches as she licks it, her tongue grazing the sides catching the liquid as it drips down. James quickly averts his eyes. He has to stop himself from thinking anything like that.

After a while the make their way back to the house, hand-in-hand. Lily's mum is in the kitchen baking when they enter. "Smells delicious." James complements.

"Thank you James. Petunia and Vernon have invited us over for dinner tonight and I said I would bring desert. Doesn't that sound fun?" She asks

James glances at Lily. _Dinner with Petunia and Vernon?_ That's very low on James' fun list, right below watching Peter clip his toe nails. He knows exactly what Lily's sister and her husband think of him and what he is. They aren't too cozy on Lily either, and she is a blood relation.

"James and I as well?" Lily asks skeptically.

"Of course, dear." Her mum says. "You haven't seen her new home yet."

"Mum, are you sure this is a good idea?" Lily asks.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because Petunia doesn't exactly love what James and I are and Vernon won't even look me in the eye anymore." Lily says as if it were obvious.

"It is high time that you and your sister get over this stupid feud you've got going on. You are both adults, so act like it." Her mother says sounding angry.

"How can I get over it mum? She has a problem with who I am. That's not something you just get over!" Lily says, her voice rising.

"Lily Anne! You march your behind up those steps right now and change into your dinner wear. I don't want to hear any more arguments. You are going to dinner." Her mother commands.

James recognizes the use of Lily's middle name for the rebuke that it is. His mother has used his middle name in the same way countless times. Lily looks mutinous for a second before turning on her heel and stomping up the steps.

"I, uh, suppose I should go change as well." James says smiling awkwardly. Mrs. Evans just smiles warmly at him as he goes.

James isn't exactly sure what he should wear. His tuxedo seems too formal, but blue jeans seem too informal. He decides on a light jumper and tan slacks. He knocks on Lily's door lightly a half hour later.

"Come in!" She calls and James enters. The first thing he sees is Lily's bare back. James stops in his tracks.

"Sorry, I thought you said I could enter." He says sounding embarrassed. She smiles at him in the mirror.

"Of course I did. Will you zip me up, please?" She asks.

James crosses small bedroom to stand behind her. He slowly zips up the soft fabric and his hand grazes over her bare skin. He feels a rush of desire pulse through him at this. He mentally shakes his head, trying hard not to think about how she is not wearing a bra.

"Thank you." She says turning to him and standing on tip toe to give him a kiss on the cheek. He wonders if she feels the same desire rushing through her. It seemed like she had when she quivered at his touch.

"You are welcome, love." He says with a smile. "Do I look alright?" He asks stepping back.

She chuckles lightly and he looks down to make sure he hadn't forgotten pants. "What?" He asks.

"We match." She says simply. James looks over her dress again, he hadn't noticed the color before but she is right, it matches his pale sweater.

"Well aren't we just the cutest couple ever." He says in a mock sweet voice. She laughs and he holds his arm out for her to lead her down to the car.

They arrive at Number Four Private Dr. at six o'clock on the dot and are greeted by Petunia at the door. The house is impeccably clean and everything is neat and proper. James can't help but feel like it is too pristine to be comfortable. Not like Mrs. Evans house that is warm and inviting. Even his mother's house, despite being flawlessly cleaned by Tilly, still gives off an air of coziness.

The whole evening is quiet and during dinner no one speaks much. When dessert is served James speaks for the first time since sitting down at the table. "Mrs. Evans these pies are delicious."

"Thank you dear." She says with a smile.

"Yes, wonderful that you decided to join us and free-load off our food." Vernon says looking at James angrily.

James is stunned. It is the first time that Vernon has ever spoken to him directly. He doesn't know how to react. "I'm sorry –"

"If you two are you-know-what's then why can't you just conjure up your own food and leave us normal people to eat in peace?" He asks, cutting James off.

James looks over at Lily to gage her reaction. She looks angry and can tell she's about to say something. James, wanting to avoid another row between the sisters, decides to answer him.

"Actually, food is one of the five principal exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. It's number one in fact. Food cannot be created from thin air." James looks around to see everyone reaction to this.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans both look extremely interested and Lily is staring at Petunia, looking torn between laughter and apprehension. Petunia looks dumbfounded and Vernon looks angry, as if he can't believe those words came from a human's mouth. It's silent for a few more seconds

"Although," James continues, hoping he isn't pressing his luck, "we could increase the quantity of the food we have, if you don't think we have enough." Vernon's face starts to turn a strange purplish color.

"Very interesting, so you mean you can turn this single piece of pie into two pieces of pie?" Mr. Evans asks excitedly. Lily still looks as if she's going to laugh, so James answers.

"Yes, exactly, would you like me to show you?" He asks and Mr. and Mrs. Evans nod enthusiastically. Petunia stands up, sending her chair skidding backwards and it knocks into the wall.

"Don't you dare!" She roars. Everyone looks at her. "You will not use your unnaturalness in my house. Nor will you speak of your abnormalities. If you dare try to use you-know-what you'll find yourself out on the curb! We will not stand for it." She says and Vernon nods appreciatively.

James looks sideways a Lily, feeling horrible. He had been trying to ease the tension and avoid a fight. And maybe annoy Vernon a bit. But what he'd actually done is greatly upset Petunia and probably Lily.

"Petunia, dear." Mrs. Evans says. "It's not unnatural. It's who they are. Can't you accept your sister for who she is?"

Petunia looks defiant. "No! I've had enough! It's always, _'Lily's so special.'_ _'Lily's so talented.'_ Well I'm done with it. This is our house and we forbid such strangeness to go on inside it! That includes my own sister and any riff-raff she drags in off the street." Vernon looks appeased by his wife's words.

"Is that what this is about, Tuney?" Lily asks from beside James. "All these years you have been mad at me because you really hate what I am?"

Petunia doesn't look at Lily but just nods her head once. Lily stands as well.

"Fine. Here was me thinking that we could resolve our differences if we just talked it out or if I just didn't use magic around you or your bore of a husband. But if you truly can't stand me because of what I am then I can't sit here and try to make you care about me again." She throws her napkin down on the table and backs away.

"Come on James, we're off. Don't worry about how we're getting home mum, we're going to apparate. You know Tuney, disappear from one place and reappear in another only seconds later. It takes a lot of magical skill and you need a wand to do it!" She says nearly shouting towards the end. James can tell that she was trying to fit as many magical words into the statement as she could.

James stands too and pushes in both his and Lily's chairs. "Well, thank you for dinner. It was lovely. Uh, the food that is." James says awkwardly backing his way out of the room.

He exits the front door to see Lily waiting for him by the garden wall. "I'm so sorry, Lily." He says. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'm glad you did. It was really funny. I wanted to laugh so badly." She tells him looking up at him and he can see the tears in her eyes. "They just won't ever understand us."

James moves his hand up to her cheek to catch the first tear that has fallen from her eyes. Raised voices make themselves heard from inside the house and Lily shivers. "Let's go back, I don't want to have another go at it tonight." She says and James nods wrapping her arm around his and turning on the spot thinking of the Evans' living room.

"I'll get us some hot cocoa." He says as she sits down on the couch.

He returns from the kitchen a few minutes later with two mugs to see the tears pouring from her eyes. He just sits down on the couch and pulls her onto his lap, cradling her to his chest and stroking her hair as she weeps over her sister, yet again.

After nearly a half hour she pulls back from him. "Thank you for being here with me."

James just chuckles. "You always thank me for the strangest things."

She chuckles too and takes the hanky that James has just produced for her. Laying her head on the armrest of the couch Lily sighs. "What a night."

"Aren't you glad you brought your prankster boyfriend along?" He asks sarcastically, chastising himself slightly for the way he acted tonight. "A regular bloke would've just eaten his pie in silence, but me, nah, I have to be the smartarse."

Lily laughs. "I love that you spoke up. You wouldn't be the man I love if you hadn't. I hate how he snapped at you like that."

James feels pride in himself again and he summons the mugs to them. "Here, drink up. You'll feel better." He says and she does.

When their mugs are empty she lays back down on the couch. James smiles at her, playing with the hem of her dress. He doesn't know what to do now. He's sure she's still sad over her sister, but he can't think of how to cheer her up. Not here, in the living room of her childhood home.

Lily reaches her arm up to grab the neckline of his jumper. "Are you going to kiss me properly at all while we are here?" She asks pulling him down so that he has to lie next to her on the couch.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." He says lamely, that only being part of it. He doesn't want her parents walking in on them snogging. He doesn't want them thinking he's only after Lily for that. He wants them to see that he truly loves her.

Lily just smiles at him as she traces a small circle on his chest with her fingertips. He leans forward and lets his lips meet hers. He can feel her smile into his lips and he moves his hand up to cup her face as he kisses her deeper. He feels her hands move up to rest on his chest and he lets his free arm wrap around her waist. James breaks away for a moment, teasingly letting his lips fall to her chin, then up to her ear, before returning to hers with a fervor he hadn't expected. He thought he could make it through a week without this, but he should have known he'd never make it.

"I love you Lily." He whispers in her ear.

She moves her hands down the bottom of his jumper trying to push it up over his head. He smiles at her intent and sits up slightly letting her remove it. She places soft kisses on his bare chest and he groans. He moves his hands from her back down over her hip to rest on her thigh. He grabs hold and hooks her leg up over his hip and flips her in one swift movement. Her head falls lightly onto a pillow as he claims his position overtop her, kissing her neck and slowly working his way down.

"James." She moans, grabbing a fistful of his hair. His erection pulsates delightedly at that, loving the way she says his name.

Just then a he hears a car pulling into the driveway and he sits up quickly.

"What are you doing?" Lily asks slightly breathlessly, sitting up as well.

"Your parents are home." He tells her before he gets up to grab his jumper that Lily had flung over the couch.

"Are you sure?" She asks and then two car doors slam from outside. "Come back over here, it'll look suspicious if you're just standing there breathing heavy." She informs him and he joins her on the couch again.

James tries to distract himself, think of anything else but what would have happened if Lily's parents hadn't come home right then. Lily is already ahead of him it seems, as she turns on the television. James stares at it.

"I still don't understand how this thing works." He tells her sitting forward slightly and Lily laughs.

The door in the kitchen opens and James hears Lily's parents clambering in.

"Lily?" Mrs. Evans asks tentatively.

"In here mum!" Lily calls. James tries to calm himself. _Lily parents won't guess what we were doing_. He hopes.

Mrs. Evans steps into the living room and Mr. Evans can be heard climbing the stairs. "I'm glad you made it home alright." She says with an unreadable expression.

"I'm sorry mum. I just couldn't sit there any longer." Lily says looking up at her mother with pleading eyes.

"I understand, dear." She says holding out her hand out to stop any explanations. "We don't need to discuss it anymore tonight. Your father and I are exhausted, so we're heading up to bed. Enjoy your program." She says nodding to the television.

James thanks her and says goodnight as does Lily. When they hear her parents' bedroom door close Lily leans in closer to James. He smiles and wraps his arm around her again.

"That was close." She says and he smirks.

-L-3-J-

The rest of the week passes quickly and with no more fights over Petunia. They all sit around the dinner table chatting Friday evening after a lovely meal prepared by Mrs. Evans and Lily. It's their last night with Lily's parents as the following afternoon they'll be heading to James' home.

"Well we should start clearing up." Mrs. Evans says standing and starting to collect dishes. Lily follows suit and James is about to ask if they need help when Mr. Evans claps him on the shoulder.

"Come on James, let's go out to the barn and let the ladies have their fun." He says and James smiles. The women chuckle from the kitchen.

"Yes, go have your manly fun." Mrs. Evans calls as Mr. Evans leads him out into the back yard towards the barn.

James feels his nerves creeping up his spine now. He had wanted to get Mr. Evans on his own all week, but the opportunity hadn't presented itself until tonight. Now that it is here, James wishes it was over with. He thinks back on his conversation with Dirk before break. He tries to remember everything the boy told him. His advice will be crucial now.

"Take a seat." Mr. Evans says and James sits on one of the two folding chairs available. "Fancy a beer?" He asks walking over to the small fridge in the corner. "Rose hates the stuff, won't let me keep it in the house." He explains handing James a bottle before sitting down across from him. James smiles as he opens it.

James can tell by Lily's father's behavior that he didn't want to get him alone to fix his mower this time. James has a funny feeling that he'll want to talk less about Quidditch and more about his favorite daughter. This is fine with James though, because he wants the exact same thing.

"You know, I like having you around James. You're a lot better chat than Vernon. All the bloke ever talks about is drills." He says sipping his beer. James chuckles at this. He has only ever heard of Vernon's drill stories, never actually heard one since the man had never spoken to him before Wednesday.

"I like being here as well." James informs him.

"You must be bored with us, I expect." James looks at him puzzled. "We can't seem very exciting after all the stuff you get up to at school." Mr. Evans elaborates.

"Lily used to tell us all sorts of stories about James Potter and his annoying gang of bullies." James looks down at his hands ashamed. That is definitely not the light you want your girlfriend's father to see you in, especially not with the talk that is looming.

"Don't worry, my boy. I'm just yanking your chain. We all do stupid stuff when we are kids. Makes me like you a little more knowing that you worked so hard to win her over." He says nodding to the house. "All we've heard for the last two years is how mature you've gotten and how you defend her and others against anyone who tries to put them down."

James nods and looks up into the man's face to see him smiling. "She doesn't really need my defending, actually pisses her off quite a bit." James says with a chuckle taking a swig of his beer. He really likes the stuff and it helps at calming his nerves.

Mr. Evans laughs as well. "Yeah, she's a tough one, isn't she?" James nods in agreement.

"Last month when we got that letter from Professor Dumbledore, Rose and I were so worried." He says and James meets his eyes and can see the concern in them. "He had said that the two of you had been attacked and that Lily sustained an injury but would recover just fine. He said that you were to thank for her not being worse off." His eyes are full of warmth and gratitude now.

"I got us away from the attacker, but it was Lily's blow that distracted him long enough for me to do so. She's just as much to thank for us getting away as I am." James tells him.

"Lily doesn't like to talk about it. She refuses to answer any of our questions on the matter. Will you tell me exactly why you were attacked? Who did it?"

James swallows. He hadn't expected this talk. He wonders what all to tell him. He knows Lily doesn't want to worry her parents or frighten them. She has purposely not told them about the war or Voldemort and his dislike of Muggles. James decides to tell him half of the story.

"The man who attacked us is what we call a Dark Wizard. He uses magic for awful and terrible things. He attacked us that night because of me. He wanted to recruit me into his ranks. When I refused him, he attacked us. Lily, courageous as she is, stayed behind to help me fight. I was extremely lucky to have her by my side that day, as I am every day." James says.

Mr. Evans nods as if trying to process that. "Is he going to try to come after her now?" He asks sounding worried.

James thinks about his answer very carefully. "He is, in a way, after any of us who don't agree with his aims. If his and Lily's paths cross again I'm sure it will mean another fight. But Lily is more than capable and extremely brave." James assures him.

Mr. Evans is silent for a long time. "Will their paths cross?" He asks in a soft voice.

James looks at him sadly. He wishes he could explain it properly. He knows now that what he needs to do is ease the man's worry. "No, I doubt it very much. The man we are talking about isn't worried about witches and wizards who are still in school or have just graduated. He aims quite a bit higher. It was by complete chance that our paths crossed that night." This is an outright lie, but he knows it's what Lily would want him to say.

"So, it's kind of like running into a mugger. He isn't targeting you specifically? You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?" He asks perking up a bit.

James knows he has to lie again. "Right."

"I'm sorry I started our chat off that way James, I just needed some answers."

"I understand, Mr. Evans."

"Please James, call me Finn."

"Thank you, Finn." He says with a smile. Finn gets up and grabs another round of beer for them and hands James his.

"So, it's getting close to graduation. Are you nervous?" Finn asks him. James shakes his head.

"I will be, I'm sure, when it gets closer but all I'm focused on right now is the Quidditch final in a few weeks, then exams." Finn nods.

"What are you planning on doing when you leave school?" He asks.

James debates again, too much information might bring the conversation back to the depressing situation of Lily being in harm's way. "I just got my acceptance last week into the Auror program." James tells him, leaving out the fact that he'll be declining the offer.

"Auror?"

James mentally slaps himself. _Of course he wouldn't know what an Auror is!_ "Aurors are wizards who are trained to track down other wizards who break the law."

"Ah, so they are sort of like detectives?"

James has no idea what a detective is or what they do but he decides that it must be sort of close. "Yes, exactly." He'll have to check with Lily later.

"Well, that does sound like an honorable profession." James nods.

"It is. The program is very exclusive. They only take on those who they know can handle it." James tells him, not wanting to brag, but wanting him to know elite it is.

"Well, that certainly fits your character."

James doesn't know how to respond to that. He feels pride rush through him though. "Thank you, Sir."

"Lily said a while back that she wants to be a Healer. She says it's sort of like being a doctor. Do you have any issues with that?"

James knows they have begun the conversation he's been waiting for. He doesn't want to tell him that Lily had decided to forgo Healer training until after the war, choosing to fight alongside James in the Order instead. That would surely worry him.

"None at all, I think that it's a wonderful career choice for Lily. She'll be the best Healer to ever step foot in St. Mungo's." James tells him then explains that St. Mungo's is their hospital.

"Well then, I think you already know my next question." He says and sets down his beer. James sets his down too and tries to subtly rub the sweat off his palms. _This is it._

"What are your intentions for my Lily?" James had indeed known this question was coming, and he's prepared for it.

"Sir, I love your daughter very much. She is, in fact, my soul mate. I can't imagine my life without her. So, with your permission Sir, I intend to marry Lily." James tells him looking him right in the eyes.

They sit for a moment frozen, staring into each other's eyes. James doesn't remember a time that he has ever been so nervous. He can almost feel the seconds ticking by. After the longest minute of James' life, a smile crosses Lily's father's face.

"That was an excellent answer, my boy. I do indeed give you my permission to marry Lily. I don't think I need to tell you how much Rose and I like you, James. We both can see how much you care for her, and we haven't seen Lily happy like she is now in years."

James smiles widely. "Thank you, Sir." He says finally breathing easy.

Finn claps him on the back. "Don't worry son, you did great. I can tell that Lily will be taken care of and loved with you, made my decision really easy."

James grins again and relaxes back into his seat. They spent the rest of the night out in the barn with Lily's dad, drinking beer and chatting about much less important things. All James' worries have gone.

* * *

**A/N – Is anyone else smiling like a Ravenclaw in a bookstore?**

**No? Just me? Oh well.**

**I already know some of the complaints that I'll get on this chapter, so let me address them quickly:  
*****I don't think James is rushing into things by already asking Lily's father for his permission to marry her. He loves Lily and knows that they are soul mates. He realized he can't live without her. I'm pretty sure he'd have already married her if they weren't still in school. :-)  
*****I also believe that Lily's father ****would**** give him permission. He wants someone who will protect his little girl since he no longer can. He knows James will.  
*****And for those of you who were wondering; James and Dirk's talk was about how to ask a Muggle for his daughter's hand in marriage. That's why he needed a Muggle-born's advice.**

**Anyway, I would appreciate any feedback you may have on this chapter. **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N – Because I owe it to you :-)**

* * *

Saturday afternoon Lily and James say goodbye to her parents before apparating to the front gate of Potter Manor.

"What did you and my dad talk about last night?" She asks him as the walk up to the house.

"Just man stuff, you know." James says with a shrug.

Lily raises her eyebrows at him. "Like what?"

"Dunno. Quidditch, football, cars, broomsticks, the usual." Lily looks at him skeptically. "He asked what I'm planning on doing when we leave school. I didn't really know how to answer so I told him I'm going to be an Auror."

Lily thinks about this for a second. "Well, I guess you're going to be sort of like an Auror, just not the title."

"What's a detective?"

"Why?"

"Your dad asked if Aurors are like detectives and I told them they are."

Lily laughs a little. "They sort of are, but detectives aren't nearly as elite as Aurors. Detectives are just like police men, only they don't wear uniforms."

"I guess that's as good of a comparison as we're going to get." He says with a shrug. "But, he thinks that you're still going to train to be a Healer, and I didn't correct him." James tells her.

Lily feels bad that he had to lie to her father for her, but she's glad he had. "I think that it's best that I don't tell them until after the war. I don't want them to worry. They don't really understand what it's like."

They reach the front porch now and James leans down to give her a kiss. "I love you, Lily." He says before opening the door.

Mrs. Potter greets them in the entrance hall pulling them both into hugs. "Oh it is so lovely to see you. Come on, we are all in the kitchen decorating eggs." She says and leads them back to the kitchen with her arm around Lily.

Lily laughs as she sees Sirius tangled up in ribbon as he tries to decorate an egg and Mr. Potter looking bored as he plays with the a paintbrush. Mrs. Potter sits down on a stool and pats the one next to her indicating that Lily should sit. She does and out of the corner of her eye she sees James motion to his father. Both men leave the kitchen without a word. _Wonder where they're going? _Lily thinks worriedly.

"What was that about?" Sirius asks and then topples to the floor, trapped in ribbon. Mrs. Potter, Lily and Tilly all burst into laughter at this.

James and his father have been gone nearly forty-five minutes when Sirius gets up throwing down his paint brush angrily.

"Why am I sitting around with the girls? I'm going to find dad and Prongs, do some manly stuff." He says and stalks out of the kitchen leaving Mrs. Potter chuckling.

"I wondered how long I was going to be able to keep him here. He lasted an hour longer than I expected." Lily laughs as well. She isn't so worried about what James and his father are doing now. She is sure that they just wanted to get out of the decorating.

The men don't return to the kitchen until dinner time. "What, did you three think that you could just leave us to do all the work and then return just in time to eat?" Mrs. Potter says jokingly.

"Of course not dear, we just had some things to take care of." He says and Lily smirks. _Like not decorating eggs._

"Well, we'd love it if you would clear up while we start dinner." Lily says innocently, looking at James.

He smiles and walks over to start collecting scraps of ribbon. He gives her a swift kiss on the cheek as he passes her and she smiles. _He's in a good mood._

-J-3-L-

Easter is an enjoyable affair. James, Sirius and Mr. Potter get up early to make Mrs. Potter and Lily breakfast, forgetting that none of them can cook. But the gesture is nice. Mrs. Potter unveiled her eggs around lunch time and they all spent the rest of the day in each other's company.

Lily feels herself starting to get excited because the following day is James' birthday. She and Mrs. Potter had planned a nice birthday dinner for him and invited their friends.

-J-3-L-

Lily wakes James by whispering in his ear. "Happy Birthday." She says and he smiles as he turns to face her.

"Thank you, love. What time is it?" He asks groggily.

"Nearly eight. I just wanted to wish you happy birthday before I went back to my room." She explains.

"You can always just stay here." He says wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. "Say you got lost and thought that my bed was yours."

"As well thought out as that plan is, you have to be up here soon anyway. Sirius said he wants to leave around nine."

James groans into his pillow. "Why so early?"

"So you can be back by noon." She reminds him.

He and Sirius were going out for a ride on Sirius' motorbike. Lily is glad they had decided to do this. She still has to run into the Muggle village and pick up one last thing for James' present.

After breakfast Lily gets ready to head out. "I'm running down to the village to pick up some last-minute things. Do you need anything while I'm there?" She asks Mrs. Potter.

"No thank you, Lily dear."

"Alright, I'll be back before lunch." She calls before disapperating to the woods at the skirt of the Muggle town.

As she makes the short walk into town she looks behind her and smiles. You can barely see Potter Manor for the main street of the village. James had told her during her first time staying there that the house is bewitched to look like a broken down farm-house to the Muggles.

It doesn't take long for Lily to find the shop that she needs and she is in and out as quickly as possible. She is pleased with her purchase and is fairly sure that James will be too. She walks back into the woods and disapperates to her room in Potter Manor. She quickly hides the bag so that James won't see it and makes her way back down to the kitchen to help prepare for the party.

Lily is helping Tilly set the table when James and Sirius walk in through the patio door with Remus and Peter in tow.

"Hi, love." James says coming over and wrapping his arm around her.

"Hi. You better get ready. We want you to open presents before Mary and Beth arrive."

"Yes, love." He says and gives her a quick kiss before he and Sirius head upstairs to get showered and changed.

"Can we help with anything?" Remus asks.

"Yes actually." Mrs. Potter says coming in from the kitchen.

"You can get James' presents out of the locking cupboard on the fourth floor and bring them down to the living room." The boys nod and head off to get the gifts.

"Oh this looks absolutely marvelous, Lily." She says, aweing over the table.

"Thank you." Lily says proudly.

When the boys all reappear they make their way to the living room to watch James open his gifts. Lily sits next to him on the love seat handing him gift after gift. She hopes that he doesn't notice the obvious lack of a present from her. She will give him her gift later that night, when they are alone.

Mary and Beth arrive then and everyone gets up to heads into the dining room. James holds Lily back and she turns to look at him confused.

"Thank you for this. I know my mum was trying to throw a big party and you convinced her to do a small get together with friends."

"I thought you would like this better." He nods and leans down to give her a very sweet kiss. "Come on, they'll be waiting for the guest of honor." She says and pulls him off to the dining room.

The conversation is pleasant as they eat the wonderful meal prepared by Mrs. Potter and they all sing happily as Tilly brings out her beautifully decorate cake. After dinner Mr. and Mrs. Potter wish their son Happy Birthday and head off to bed and the others move the party into the living room.

It's nearly eleven when Mary announces she has to get home and Beth says she should do the same. They both give James a hug wishing him Happy Birthday before Lily walks them out. Once she sees them out the front door she heads up to her bedroom. Lily shuts and locks her door behind her and retrieves the bag she had hidden earlier.

She pulls out the skimpy lingerie and admires it for a second. Feeling braver than she has in a long time, she puts it on. She steps back to admire her reflection in the mirror before she hears James and the others in the hall heading for The Marauder Room. She quickly pulls on her bath robe and ties it tightly shut before making her way out to the hall.

James and Peter are lingering out there and she watches as he claps his friend on the back. "Alright see you later Wormy, thanks for coming." He says. Peter waves at Lily and then heads back down the stairs.

"He isn't staying?" Lily asks.

"Nah, his mum wants him home, you know how she is." James says wrapping his arm around Lily's waist and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She nods as he leads her into The Marauder Room where Sirius and Remus seem to be in an argument.

"Come on, Moony! You have to! You know it'll be brilliant." Sirius says pleadingly.

"What'll be brilliant?" Lily asks sitting next to James on the couch careful to make sure her robe stays closed.

"Padfoot's trying to convince me to go to this Muggle club he heard about." Remus explains and Lily laughs.

"You two aren't hanging around either?"

"Nah, we have ladies to impress and only so much time to do it in. Prongs would be coming with us too, if you didn't have such a hold on him." Sirius says with a laugh and James chucks a pillow at him.

"You can go too, if you want." Lily says a touch of sadness in her voice as she turns to face him. She hadn't even thought about the fact that he might have plans with his mates tonight.

"I don't need to go to some sleazy club. I have all I want right here." He says and kisses her forehead. Sirius gags and Remus laughs. Lily smiles at James while sending a jinx over her shoulder at Sirius. He deflects it easily.

"Really though Prongs, we have to get going. All the attractive birds will be taken by now." Sirius says and Remus gets up and joins him by the door.

"Go have your fun. I'll see you tomorrow." He calls to his friends as the leave the room. "Keep an eye on him, Moony!" James calls and they hear the boy's chuckles.

Silence falls for a moment after their departure and Lily snuggles in closer to James. "Are you sure you don't want to go with them?" She asks him again.

"The only place I want to be right now is with you." He tells her. Lily is glad he feels this way because the lingerie she had chosen for him is not the most comfortable piece of clothing she has ever worn and she would have hated to have worn it for nothing.

It is absolutely ridiculous that she should feel nervous. They've made love loads of times, why tonight is any different is beyond her, but she can feel the butterflies in her stomach. Maybe it's because they hadn't really gotten intimate since before the holiday started. They had gotten close at her parents' house but she could sense that James felt, as she did, that it wouldn't be right to take if further there. It seemed wrong to do something so adult in a place that made her feel so much like a child. But she's glad for it now, knowing that it would only make tonight more special.

"Ready for bed, Birthday Boy?" She asks.

"Mm, more than you know." He says and she can't understand his tone. _Is he really tired?_ She wonders.

He stands and holds his hand out to her, helping her up. "Your room or mine?" He asks with a hint of amusement.

"Yours." She tells him and wraps her arms around his waist as he leads her there.

She moves to stand next to his bed as he heads to his dresser to change. She gives a little cough to get his attention. When he turns to her she grins nervously. She unties the knot to her bath robe carefully and slowly pulls it off herself. She sees his mouth open in admiration as he takes in the fire-red, lacy material. She gives herself a metaphorical pat on the back. She knew he would love this birthday surprise.

"Lily… you look… Merlin, you are so sexy." He says walking towards her. She smiles wickedly as he reaches her.

"Happy Birthday." She says and he smiles hugely before reaching out and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her to him.

-J-3-L-

"You know, I was thinking last week how there was no way you could top my last year's birthday, but you proved me wrong." He says and she chuckles.

"I knew you would like this surprise." She says looking down to the ground where the red lingerie lay discarded and torn.

"Too bad it didn't last longer." He grins. "I should really learn to control myself better."

"No, I rather enjoyed it being ripped off me." She says and she sees his eyes darken.

"Oh really?"

"Mm, it was rather exciting." She tells him. He flashes his heart melting grin.

"I rather enjoy exciting you." He says, his lips at her ear.

"Don't I know it." She says turning to face him. They lay there for a moment, neither speaking.

"You know what we should do?" James asks and Lily shakes her head.

"Get some hot chocolate."

They both pull on their bath robes and make their way down to the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

James sits on a stool in the kitchen watching Lily prepare the hot chocolate. He can't help admiring her beauty. Her hair is pulled up into a loose and messy bun, her skin radiant with the happiness he knows she feels as well. She hands him his mug and takes the stool next to him. He gives her a soft kiss before sipping his cocoa.

"I think my parents would like to meet your parents." James tells her.

"I know my parents would love that." She says beaming at him.

"We should have them for dinner around the end of the week." He suggests. "It'll give my mum time to prepare and fuss over what to make." He says and she laughs. He loves making her laugh.

"That'd be lovely. I'll write to my mum tomorrow." She tells him. James nods his approval and continues to sip his hot cocoa.

James doesn't reveal his true motives for wanting their parents to meet. He isn't quite ready to tell her about the conversation he had with her father yet. Though, after the conversation he had with his father, he knows he's more than ready to ask her the question that has been looming over him for the last few weeks. He has her father's permission and his father's blessing. The ring is up in his wardrobe hidden from view. He could ask her now. All he'd need to do is summon the ring.

Yet, he knows it's not the time. He needs the moment to be perfect, for both of them. He knows that she loves him just as much as he loves her. Knows that she plans on joining him in the Order after school, but they've discussed so little else when it comes to their future together. He has been making plans for over a month, but he doesn't know what she's thinking.

"What's the matter?" She asks him looking directly into his eyes, green on hazel.

"Nothing love, just hoping our folks get on well is all." He says, only revealing a small part of his worries.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they will." She assures him, leaning in to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you're right." He says. "What would you like to do now?" He asks her, not feeling the least bit tired and trying to distract himself from his own thoughts.

"I can think of something." She says standing up and smiling as she leans into him.

"What is that?" He asks wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into him.

She just kisses his neck slowly, making her way up to his ear. She doesn't have to respond, he knows her intent. He lifts her up over his shoulder and she giggles as he carries her quickly up to his bedroom.

They collapse a little while later on his bed, catching their breath. He doesn't think he'll ever get enough of her.

"James?" She asks turning on her side to face him.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I know, love."

A few moments later he sits up, reaching for a glass of water on the bed side table and he hears her chuckle. He turns to look at her again. "What?" He asks.

She smiles. "I always feel bad about the marks my nails leave on your back." She says and he too chuckles. He had never even noticed them until she pointed them out to him on one memorable evening in the Prefect's Bathroom.

"I'll have more scratches than Moony soon." He says and she laughs.

"It's your own fault really." She accuses and he smiles lying back down. She snuggling into his side and they fall silent.

He kisses her forehead. "I don't think it's possible to be happier than I am right now." He says and she doesn't respond, just gives his chest a soft kiss before laying her head to rest on it.

Soon he hears her breathing even out, and he knows she's fallen asleep. He falls easily into unconsciousness with Lily in his arms as it should be.

-L-3-J-

James is awoken the next morning by Lily's gasp and the covers being pulled up over his head.

"What the –" He says looking down at Lily, confused.

Then he hears laughter from near the end of his bed. He would know those laughs anywhere_. Padfoot and Moony._ James groans angrily and pulls the covers down, keeping Lily hidden, to see his best mates.

"Don't think this is really your color mate." Sirius says smirking as he holds up Lily's fiery red teddy from the night before.

James shoots a nonverbal spell at his friend and he drops the lingerie as though burned by it. "Ouch! I was just taking the piss Prongs, calm down!" Sirius says rubbing his hand as Remus doubles over in laughter.

"What the fuck are you two doing in here?" He asks. He's furious that they barged in here unannounced when they knew that Lily would be with him. "What did you see?" He demands angrily, knowing full well that Lily is just as naked as he is.

"Nothing, I swear." Remus says looking at James earnestly. They both stop laughing now. They know better than to taunt James when it comes to Lily.

"Keep your stockings on mate. We only came in here cause mum was saying that she was going to come wake you herself. Lucky we did too, or else she would have seen you two in your cozy little position." Sirius says and before he can even smile he's hoisted up into the air by his ankle.

It takes James a minute to realize that Lily must have done it. He moves his hand down to pat her thigh. "That's my girl."

"Oy, let me down. We saved you two from big trouble." Sirius shouts.

"I suppose that's true." Lily says, her voice sounding muffled from under the covers, and she lets him fall in a heap back to the floor.

"Thank you for the warning, now get out." James commands and they leave, Remus still laughing and Sirius rubbing his elbow.

Once the door is shut behind them James pulls the covers down further to see Lily. "Hi." She says and he smiles.

"Hi. Sorry, they can be real gits at times." James says and she smiles.

"It's alright, they did sort of save us. What time is it anyway?" James looks at his watch.

"Nearly eleven. No wonder my mum sent them up."

Lily sighs and gets up out of bed, putting on her bath robe and heading for his wardrobe. James panics. "Hold on a moment." He says and jumps up out of bed, tripping over the covers in his haste to stop her.

She laughs as he stumbles into her path and she looks up at him confused. "What?" She asks with an amused smile on her face.

James' mind races as he tries to think of a good explanation to keep her from searching through the wardrobe. Normally she would have her night-dress to pull back on and wouldn't need to use his clothes. "I, uh, like you with just the robe on." He says hurriedly, trying to sound seductive.

She eyes him suspiciously. "I'm not sure your mum would feel the same way." She tells him and he's relieved that she didn't ask why he's acting so strange.

"Oh, alright." He says in fake disappointment that in other circumstances wouldn't be fake at all.

He opens up a drawer he knows doesn't contain the ring and hands her some clothes to put on under her robe. Luck is on his side again and she doesn't question this. They both get dressed and head down to the kitchens together.

"I was wondering where you two had gotten to." His mother says.

"Sorry, let the morning get away with me. When these two came to wake James up, they made such a racket that they got me up as well." She says and his mum smiles at her.

"Ah, to be young again." She says wistfully and then returns to her cookies. James sits down on the stool next to Remus, taking the biscuit that he's about to bite into.

"Oy, get your own!"

"Boys! No fighting or I will need to put you in separate corners." His mum threatens and Lily giggles.

"You don't know how many times I've wished I could do that." She says. James sends her a glare.

"Oh I don't know, Lily." Sirius says, sitting on the counter top. "I think you get hot enough at us without putting us in separate corners." He says and James looks at him questioningly. It is such an odd statement. He looks over at Lily but she looks confused as well. "Wouldn't you say Moony?" Sirius asks and Remus nods.

"Red hot." Remus says barely containing his grin and James understands. Lily blushes furiously.

"Fiery red." Sirius agrees.

James' mum, who doesn't understand the references, turns to Sirius. "I don't blame her and get your foolish behind off my countertop, sit in a chair like a normal person." She says wafting at him with her spatula. He hops down and pulls up a stool.

Luckily, Lily's face has returned to its normal shade as addresses Sirius. "Well, if I didn't catch you in so many broom cupboards Sirius, I wouldn't get so angry." She says smirking at Sirius, knowing this would get him into further trouble with his surrogate mother.

Sirius shakes his head at her, mouthing wordlessly. James chuckles along with Remus. Lily always has the best comebacks. It is a lot more attractive of a quality when her jabs aren't aimed at him.

"You what?" James' mum says turning around to face Sirius. "Sirius Alphard, don't tell me you take girls into broom closets like some sleazy squid!" Sirius can only splutter as he tries to respond.

She whacks him with the spatula. "You treat women with respect! Be a gentleman, don't cram them into cupboards!" She shrieks and James and Remus can't contain their laughter any longer. James almost falls from his stool and has to hold onto his friend's shoulder for support.

"Lily dear, please tell me that at least one of my sons is a gentleman." She asks turning to Lily. James stops laughing at once.

"Yes, he's very gentlemanly. Never once has he crammed me into a broom closet." Lily says smiling at him.

James gives his mother a smug smile. It's true. He hasn't ever taken Lily into a broom closet. He _has_ however taken advantage of empty classrooms, deserted corridors, secluded corners of the grounds, the Astronomy Tower, the Prefect's Bathroom, the common room, the Room of Requirement, his own dorm… the list continues on and on and on. Sirius opens his mouth to say something but seems to think better of it. He knows, as wells the rest of them, that Lily has far more secrets on him than he has on her.

"Sorry mum." Sirius says bowing his head. "But, honestly. Those witches pull me in there, not me them. They're maniacs."

"I'm sure you just loathe that too." She replies dryly, returning to her tray of cookies.

Sirius smirks, sure he is out of the woods now. "Well, how gentlemanly of me would it be if I reject them and break their hearts in a broom cupboard?" He reasons. James' mum turns her head to glare at him.

"James, you need to give him some tips. That way I may be able to get another girl around here as sweet as Lily."

"I doubt it, mum. We both got lucky with Lily." James tells her winking at his girlfriend. Lily smiles at him.

"Not to mention, it took him nearly four years to get her." Remus says and James aims a kick at him but misses. "It would take this one forever to find a girl who will keep him." He continues gesturing to Sirius.

Mrs. Potter frowns. "What about Mary, dear?" She asks. "She is such a lovely girl and you two really seemed to hit it off at the New Year's party."

James' father enters the kitchen then. "Oh Martha, leave him be. Not everyone finds their soul mate at fifteen." She huffs and turns to her husband. James smiles at Lily and she gives him a wink.

"Has James ever told you the story of how his parents met?" His mum asks looking at Lily. Lily smiles, James had told her the story, but he knows she'll want to hear it from his mother.

"He did, but I would love to hear it again." She says smiling widely and he grins.

James barely listens as his mother retells the story of how she had been a Ravenclaw prefect and his father a Gryffindor Quidditch player and how she caught him trying to sneak out to fly. They fell in love while taking a broomstick ride around the Hogwarts grounds. James has heard the story so many times, he knows it by heart.

"And we got married a year after we left Hogwarts." She says.

Lily sighs dreamily. James glances over at Sirius to see him mime throwing up in this coffee mug. James' dad reaches around his mum to smack Sirius on the back of the head.

Mrs. Potter and Lily hadn't seemed to notice any of this because Lily continues to gush. "That is such a romantic story."

His mum nods. "The only advice I have, my dear," she tells Lily, "is to not wait too long after marriage to try for children. I wish I hadn't."

James chokes on his cookie and Remus has to thump him on the back. He glances quickly at Lily and sees her looking just as embarrassed as he feels.

James' father chuckles. "Martha, they haven't even left school yet and you've already got them having kids." James knows he's trying to lighten the tension in the room, but it didn't work.

What does work is Remus' comment. "Who knows, Sirius may already have a few kids running around somewhere." Everyone laughs at this even James' mum.

"He better not, or I'll wallop him." She says, turning around to focus on her baking again.

"Thanks Moony." James says in a low whisper to his friend and he nods in response.

James tells his mother then about inviting Lily's parents for dinner and they decide on Friday evening. She seems over joyed as James had expected and she and Lily begin planning out the evening at once. James, Remus and Sirius leave the women to their planning and head up to The Marauder Room.

"Stay here a minute, I have something I want to show you." He says and dashes into his room, grabbing the small box from his wardrobe and taking it back to The Marauder Room. He locks the door behind him and turns to his friends to show them.

"Really I'm flattered Prongs, but I've told you before, I don't swing that way." Sirius says jokingly and Remus punches him on the arm.

"Where did you get it, Prongs?" Remus asks.

"It was my Grandma Potter's." He tells them. "Dad gave it to me, day before Easter, when I told him that I'm planning on asking Lily to marry me."

"Big step, mate. Sure you're up for it?" Sirius asks, uncharacteristically serious.

"I know." He assures his best mate. "But, I can't imagine my life without her anymore. All I want to do is spend the rest of it with her, every day."

Remus nods. "Well, I think it's brilliant. You two are perfect for each other."

James smiles at him. "Thanks Moony."

They both look over at Sirius, waiting for his outburst. It isn't like him to go so long without making his opinion known. "Nothing to add Padfoot?" James asks.

"I better be best man or heads are going to roll." He finally says, sitting back in his chair with a smile.

James grins at him. "So you think it's a good idea?"

"I think it's the smartest decision you've ever made, and that includes becoming my friend." James smiles at the man that he loves like a brother. He's grateful that Sirius thinks this is a good decision.

"Now all I have to do is figure out a way to ask her." He says and the three of them are off scheming.

Lily turns up hours later in fresh clothing and looking happy. James quickly makes sure the ring is securely hidden in his pocket.

"I've been sent me up here to see if you're staying for dinner." She asks Remus.

"I can't, I need to get going. I should've been home hours ago." He admits.

"See you later, Moony." They call and wave before he disapperates.

"And then there were three." Sirius says.

"Actually, I need to go get cleaned up. I need a shave as well." James says

Lily smiles. "That you do."

James leans down and rubs his stubble on her neck making her giggle as she half-heartedly fights him off. "I trust I can leave you two alone without having to make a trip to St. Mungo's." James says, worrying that they might get into it after the events of this morning.

"Don't worry mate, I won't hurt your girl." Sirius says leaning back in his chair.

James leans down and gives Lily a kiss before turning to his friend. "It isn't her I'm worried about, mate." He says before leaving the room.

James enters his room and quickly hides the ring in his Hogwarts things, tucking it safely in a pair of socks before heading off to get a shower. After dinner Lily and his mum go off to her planning room to finalize the details for Friday's dinner and James and Sirius head back up to The Marauder Room.

"So, what did you and Lily talk about?" James asks.

"Moony actually." Sirius admits.

"Why?"

"Dunno exactly. She mainly wanted to know why he and I don't keep a girlfriend. I told her that we aren't like you and don't want to spend forever fawning over the same bird." James chuckles. That may be true for Sirius, but they both know that it isn't for Remus.

"Poor Moony, wish we could convince him to at least try and make it work with someone." James says pensively.

"Yeah, but don't you think it'll crush him when he tells the girl and she runs off screaming?"

James nods. "Well, that's what he's always been scared of. But what he has to realize is that if she is the right girl, she won't go running. She'll accept him for who he is, like Lily did when I told her about me being an Animagus." James says and Sirius chuckles.

"I know but not everyone finds someone as perfect for them as you and Evans."

"Fair point." James concedes. "Want to play a bit of Quidditch tomorrow?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Can't mate. I have to go to the Ministry for the reading of Uncle Al's will. Apparently Dromeda and I were the only beneficiaries. We were supposed to go on Friday while Lily's parents are here, but mum told me that it is a family dinner and that if I'm not here she'll never forgive me." James chuckles at his mother's theatrics.

"He told me a while ago that I could have his flat in London when I graduate. I used to think that we would live there together after school." Sirius says. "It's a big enough place, but with your plans with Lily…" He trails off.

James smiles at his friend. He'd always planned on getting a flat with Sirius as well. It would have been a blast, Moony and Wormtail hanging out most nights. But when he thinks of living with Lily, maybe in a nice quiet village somewhere, it makes him simultaneously nervous and excited. No doubt in his mind he would rather live with Lily.

"Sorry mate, but we would probably blow up the house if we lived together on our own." James says and Sirius laughs.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He admits.

"What do you think Peter'll do for money?" Sirius asks him.

James never really worries about money. He's always had enough gold in his pocket to keep him happy and his parents set a side quite a large amount for him for when he leaves school. It's not something he ever thinks about.

"Dunno, think Dumbledore will ask him to join the Order?"

"I hope so, I mean, I know he doesn't have quite the same amount of skill as the rest of us do, but Dumbledore has to see that another person on our side is only to our advantage."

James nods. "I just hope he doesn't ask Moony to go and try to liaise with the werewolves. Poor bloke… that would be terrible."

Sirius frowns. "I'm sure he will. Not hard to spot that we need a spy there and who else would be better for the job than Moony?"

"True, just think how that will affect him though." James says gloomily.

"Oh what a cheery conversation." Lily says entering the room and giving James a quick kiss on the cheek before pushing Sirius' legs off the couch where she wants to sit.

All the serious talk evaporates as the three of them laugh and begin a game of exploding snap. Eventually they all head off to bed, Sirius to his room upstairs and Lily and James to her room this time. Lily falls asleep quickly but James lays awake, thoughts of proposals and the Order running though his mind.

James decides that he has to wait until he actually asks Lily to be his wife before he worries about anything else.

-L-3-J-

The next few days pass quickly and without much excitement. Friday morning dawns bright and James blinks as the sun pours onto his face. He looks down to see the beautiful face of the woman he loves on his chest squinting as if the sun is moments from waking her as it had him.

He silently picks his wand up and charms the drapes across the window. She stirs slightly at his movement and he smiles as she snuggles in closer to his chest. He holds her tighter, unwilling to let her move from her arms. He checks his watch and sees that it is a quarter after nine. He groans lightly and begins to rub small circles into her back.

"We have to get up, love. My mum will be looking for us soon." He tells her.

She grumbles into his chest and pulls herself closer to him. "Just ten more minutes." She says stubbornly and he chuckles softly.

"No can do, I'm afraid."

She groans and rolls over onto her back. "I was having such a good dream." She tells him and this intrigues him. He has always wondered what she dreams about.

"What kind of dream was it?" He asks.

"Well, it was in the Autumn and we were out on this patio. You were teaching –" She breaks off and James looks at her curiously.

_Why did she stop?_ "I was teaching what?" He asks.

"Uh, you were teaching me how to make lemonade the magical way." She says and he has a funny feeling that she isn't being entirely honest with him.

"But you already know how to make lemonade the magical way." He reminds her.

"I know, but it was a dream. They're often funny." She says. He can't argue with that. He's had far stranger dreams than hers.

"Dreams don't always make sense, but I think they sometimes have a hidden meaning. Like maybe one day we'll sit on a patio and you'll teach me how to make lemonade the Muggle way or something."

She laughs at this and her face brightens. "I think that could be possible."

He looks over at her and smiles. "I love you, and if you want to teach me all the different ways to make every kind of juice, I'm in."

She chuckles. "Sounds like a plan to me." She says and then sighs. "We best get up. You're right, your mum will be looking for us soon."

They get up, dress, and head down to breakfast together, holding hands. They enter the kitchen to see it empty except for Sirius.

"Where is everyone?" James asks.

"Mum and Tilly went into the Muggle town to pick up a few things for tonight and dad went along with them to check out the beer selection." Sirius says over his Daily Prophet. James nods and Lily sits down looking huffy as he gets her a plate and cup.

"What's with you? Prongs wouldn't put out last night?" Sirius asks her crudely. James aims a plate at his head and he ducks to miss it but catches Lily's punch. "I was only joking." He says rubbing his shoulder.

"She's mad because if we'd have known they weren't here, she could have slept in." James explains.

"Oh." Sirius says, nodding as if he understands. "And sleeping in is code for –" He breaks off as Lily aims another punch at him but he dodges in time. "Alright, I get it! It's private, blah, blah, blah. Prongs has told me more times than I need to hear." Lily smiles at him and James smiles back.

"Orange or Pumpkin?" He asks her.

"Pumpkin." She says and they all chat merrily as they eat their breakfast.

James' parents arrive home a few minutes later and show them all the stuff they had gotten in town. Lily declares it all perfect and James sees the same beer bottles that he and Lily's father had drunk only a week before. He nudges Sirius and points to it.

"That stuff is excellent."

"When have you tried it?" Lily asks him and he smirks.

"Your dad keeps a stash of it out in the barn. We had a few while we worked on his mower last week." He tells her and she looks shocked at the apparent kinship between James and her father.

At ten 'til four James and Lily apparate down to the woods on the outskirts of the Muggle village and make their way to the small park, where they are to meet Lily's parents and walk them back up to Potter Manor.

"Why don't we just drive?" Mr. Evans asks as they walk. "It would be faster."

Lily smiles at her father. "The Potter's don't have a driveway, dad." She reminds him.

"Oh, that's right." He says, remembering.

"How far away is it?" Mrs. Evans asks when they are about five meters from the gate.

"It's right here, mum." Lily says, pointing to the house that James knows will look like a dilapidated farm-house to her parents.

"This is their house?" She asks Lily in an undertone.

"Once we get through the gate you'll see mum, it's very nice." She says and Mr. Potter looks skeptical.

"Is it safe?" He asks.

James smiles at him with his hand on the gate. "Yes, Sir, it's very safe. Right now the house thinks that you are just regular Muggles, so it disguises itself. Once you walk through the gate it'll know you've been invited in and it'll reveal itself to you." James knows that explanation sounds silly, but it's the only way he can think to make them understand. Lily smiles at him encouragingly and James opens the gate and they walk through.

He hears Mrs. Evans gasp. "Oh my." She says looking up at the house.

"I know, isn't it magnificent?" Lily says smiling at her mother and James blushes slightly.

James' mum is waiting in the entrance hall to greet them. "Welcome, welcome!" She says smiling and giving both of Lily's parent's hugs. James sees Tilly come up behind her and bow to the new comers.

"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Evans, may Tilly take your jackets for you?" She asks and Mrs. Evans steps back in surprise.

Lily takes her mum's arm. "Mum, dad this is Tilly, the Potter's house elf." She says as if trying to explain something with her eyes.

Her parents just nod and hand Tilly their coats before following James' mum down the hall to the grand living room. James and Lily follow behind them with their hands intertwined. Sirius and James' father stand waiting for them when they enter.

"I believe you've already met Sirius." Mrs. Potter says as Sirius shakes their hands. "And this is my husband Charles." She says and James' father shakes Mr. Evans hand and then bows taking Mrs. Evans hand in his and giving it a swift kiss, just as he'd done to Lily the first time they'd met.

"We are so glad you could join us today." James' mum says excitedly.

"Thank you for inviting us." Mrs. Evans replies. "I must say your home is breathtaking, Mrs. Potter." She says looking around in awe.

"Oh come now, call me Martha." She says and the wraps her arm around Mrs. Evans'. "Would you like a tour?"

"That would be wonderful."

"Splendid, Lily would you like to join us?"

"Sure." Lily agrees and follow the women back out into the hall.

James smiles at her father. "Care for a drink Mr. Evans." James asks.

"Please James, call me Finn, and that would be lovely." He says and James smiles.

"Martha and I picked these up this morning. James says they're your favorite." James' dad says, handing Finn a bottle.

"Ah, he is quite right. Thank you, Charles is it?" He asks and James' father laughs.

"Yes, sorry my wife can get over excited in times like these." Sirius and James laugh as they sit down.

"Yeah, it took Sirius here awhile to get used to the madness." James says and Sirius smiles.

"Ah, but I was already so used to you mate, so it wasn't that difficult." Sirius says and then turns to Finn to explain. "I moved in here with the Potter's about two years ago. I've known James, and Lily for that matter, since the first day at Hogwarts."

"Ah that would make you the other trouble making bully." Finn laughs and so does Mr. Potter.

"That sounds like my boys." James laughs at the expression on Sirius face.

"Lily Belle has told me many stories about you as well. Usually your name has been thrown in with James' and a few other boys though." He says. "From what I understand you are quite the pranksters." Sirius smirks and stands up before giving a bow.

"Don't let Lily fool you, Finn." James says with a laugh. "She's known to retaliate and get us back just as good." James explains.

The man smiles. "She never tells me those stories." He says.

"Oh yes, remember that time in third year Sirius?" James asks and Sirius nods.

"Ah, yes that was probably the best."

James turns back to Lily's father. "Sirius and I had snuck out to take a midnight stroll to the kitchens and when we got back Lily was the only one left in the common room. She said she had just finished up on some essay that wouldn't be due for weeks." James chuckles at the memory.

"Well, Sirius and I had a plate of éclairs with us that we had enchanted to dye people's hair funny colors." James explains. "We wanted to give them to some of the nastier Slytherins but the opportunity was too great to miss out on. So, we gave her an éclair and told her to lighten up a bit and then went off to bed."

"The next morning at breakfast Lily walked in with bright purple hair and she was so angry. Well, we of course burst out laughing, giving ourselves away." Sirius explains.

"She was furious, but boy did she get us back." James says.

"Two days later we were walking down to breakfast when she stopped us asking for a quill."

"We didn't know what to think because it is so unlike Lily to be unprepared, but I gave her mine. She wrote something down on her parchment but then asked to use Sirius' quill, because mine wasn't working right. Naive as we were, Sirius gave her it without question. She wrote something else down on the parchment and then smiled and walked with us to breakfast."

"When we sat down I looked over at James and burst out laughing because written across his face were the words, **Big-headed Bully**." Sirius explains.

"And I laughed because on Sirius' face was written, **Lazy Pretty Boy**." James says and Finn laughs loudly at his daughters trick.

"And tell him how long it took you to get it off." Lily says from the doorway to the living room with both of their mothers behind her.

"Nearly all day. In the end we had to have our friend Remus steal the parchment back from her so we could burn it." Sirius explains.

"It would have only lasted twenty-four hours, if you would have just been patient. Unlike my hair, which would have stayed purple for a week at least." Lily say sitting down next to James on the love seat.

"We would have turned it back if McGonagall hadn't beaten us to it." James promises her.

They're all laughing then, and Tilly enters with a bow. "Dinner is served in the dining room, masters." She says.

"Thank you, Tilly." James' dad calls and takes his wife's arm and leads her to the dining room. Lily's parents follow and then Sirius. James takes Lily's arm and they follow with smiles. He holds out her chair for her before taking his own watching his father do this for his mother and Sirius for Lily's mother.

When they are all seated Tilly snaps her fingers and the dishes in front of them fill with food. Dinner goes very smoothly with pleasant conversations. Everyone seems to be getting along greatly and when they are finished James' mum invites the 'adults' up to the lounge for some of Rosemerta's finest brandy. James is annoyed slightly at not being considered an adult but he holds his arm out to Lily and leads her up to The Marauder Room, Sirius following them.

"Your folks are really cool, Lily." Sirius tells her as they sit around the fireplace.

"Thank you, Padfoot." She says.

"You know, it's a little strange that we don't have a nickname for you." He tells her.

"I have a nickname for her." James says suggestively, burying his face in her neck and Lily pushes him playfully.

"Seriously, Lily, would you like a Marauder nickname?" He asks her.

Lily looks pensive for a moment. "No." She finally says and James looks at her wonderingly.

"I'm not a Marauder. I'm just in love with one." She explains and James smiles giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Good point, that." Sirius says. "So you'll just be Lily then."

"Well, to you she will." James says and laughs at her scandalized expression.

After a few more hours of talking there's a knock at the door. Lily jumps up from where she's seated rather indecently on James lap, to move to her own arm-chair.

"We're going to walk Rose and Finn back to their car, you three behave yourselves." His mother says and Lily and James get up to say goodbye to her parents.

"Well I'm turning in." Sirius says. "I'll see you two love birds in the morning." He says stretching as he leaves the room.

James takes Lily's hand and leads her over to the couch and pulls her onto his lap again. He gives her a deep kiss and smiles. "I think that went rather well."

"I agree." She says and leans in for another kiss.

"They got on brilliantly. I wager my mum will be calling for weekly dinners" James tells her.

"I think my mum would agree to that. You should've seen her during the tour. She loves this house."

James smiles. "Well I'm glad they got on so well. It'll make everything a lot easier." He says and then freezes, realizing what he had said. He hopes that Lily hadn't heard him. It's a vain hope however.

"Make what a lot easier?" She asks looking confused. James tries to think up a good excuse.

"Uh, everything. Don't you think that it's nice when everyone gets along?" He asks knowing that she'll see right through this.

"I suppose." She says warily and James leans in to kiss her again, to cover this awkward moment.

She puts her hand up to stop him. "What's going on, James?"

"What do you mean? Can't a bloke kiss his girlfriend without all the suspicion?" He's grasping at air now.

"Not when he's clearly hiding something from her." She says.

"I'm not hiding anything." _Except an engagement ring in my socks. _"I'm just really glad they got on well. I was afraid that Sirius would scare them away or something and then that would drive an even bigger gap in your family." He says. He hadn't realized how true the words are until he said them, didn't know he was worried about that until it was no longer an issue.

"Oh, ok." Lily says with a slight smile. "But you better tell me now if it's something more than that, or so Merlin help me you'll regret it." She warns him.

He tries to hide his smile. He loves when she threatens him. He knows she's strong and can cause damage if she wants to, but the idea of her doing anything to him is comical. He gives her another kiss. "Fancy going to bed?"

"We should probably stay here for a while, at least until your parents get back. In case they check on us." She tells him.

"Alright, but we should use our time wisely." He says and adjusts her so that she's lying on the couch. He stretches out onto his side next to her.

"A nice snog session would do us some good." She says and they're off.

James doesn't hear his mother's knock at the door, but he does hear his father clear his throat loudly. James, who was on the very edge of the couch with his hand up Lily's shirt, jumps back in surprise and falls off the couch. Lily sits up quickly adjusting her shirt and skirt, her face burning with humiliation. James sits up, bring his knees up to his chest to hide the large bulge in his trousers from his parents.

"Uh, hi." He says, awkwardly.

"Just wanted to let you know that we made it home safely." James' father says, looking as if he's trying hard not to laugh.

"Good night you two. Don't stay up too late." His mum says with a smile before they leave the room.

Once the door is shut James lies back on his back and groans putting his hands over his face. "I can't believe your parents caught us snogging." Lily says and he can hear the embarrassment in her voice.

"Quite a good snog too." James says bitterly thinking of where her hands had been just moments before his parents walked in. James looks up at her and she still looks mortified so he sits up. "Well, nothing kills the mood like parents walking in."

"Certainly not." She says with a chuckle.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." He says holding out his hand to her and leading her out into the hallway.

"I think separate rooms tonight." James says, stopping outside her door. She gives him a pouty look and he smiles. "We have to get used to being back at Hogwarts."

She nods sadly. "Alright, I'll see you at breakfast." She says before giving him a lingering good night kiss and going into her bedroom.

James reluctantly goes to his own room. His bed feels empty somehow without Lily in it, almost cold. He wonders for a moment if he needs more blankets. He toss and turns for a few more minutes then tries to arrange his pillows to take the place where Lily should lay, but it didn't work.

Unsatisfied, he gets up and pulls his bath robe on. He walks to Lily's room and opens her door silently, sticking his head in. He watches as she does the same thing he had just tried to do a moment ago. Then he watches as she tosses the pillow to the ground in frustration. James chuckles and enters the room properly.

"There's the temper that I know and love." He says closing the door behind him. She turns to him smiling widely.

James takes off his bath robe and tosses it onto one of her arm chairs and turns to see her holding open the covers, asking him to join her. He does so willingly. Without a word she snuggles in close to him and James finally feels at ease.

_This is how it's supposed to be._ He thinks and after a few moments they both fall asleep, finally comfortable.

* * *

**A/N – And so they all get along. :-)**

**I hope you liked this Chapter. It's a fairly long one for you. Let me know what you think!**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N – Chapter 30 already! :-)**

* * *

Their final train ride back to Hogwarts proves to be more enjoyable than sad. Lily sits between Mary and James in The Marauder compartment, the former locked in a heated chess match with Remus. She listens to Beth and Mary's conversation as Peter naps and Sirius watches the battle.

"He says he thinks we should buy a house when I leave school." Beth tells them, talking about her boyfriend Barry. "You know something that we can expand on when we have kids."

Lily feels shock run through her. She can't believe Beth is already talking about having children. Sure, Lily had thought about how many kids she and James would have. Imagined what their offspring would look like. She even had a dream about it over break. She sat on a beautiful porch watching James teach a little girl, with red curly hair and bright green eyes, how to fly on a broomstick. It had all been brought on when she saw how well he interacted with Nymphadora.

But that doesn't mean she's ready for kids now, far from it. She's barely ready to leave Hogwarts.

Lily's roused from her thoughts by James' kiss on her temple. He apparently had made an extremely impressive capture of Remus' queen. When he's pulled away from her again by Remus, demanding a rematch, she turns her attention back to her friends.

"So, did you ever hear back from the Harpies about your trial?" Lily asks Beth, not wanting to talk about children anymore.

"Yeah, they're coming to watch me play in the final. I'm not sure if I'm excited or scared." She says.

"Lily, pay attention! You missed me crushing Prongs' pride!" Remus says to her, and she turns her attention back to the boys.

"Two out of three, Moony." James says resetting the chess board and Lily smiles at him. She knows he hates to lose.

The rest of the journey passes quickly with a lot of laughter as James and Remus come to a stalemate in their game, agreeing that neither of them would be declared the victor.

After dinner that night Lily walks up to the common room with Mary, talking animatedly about James' visit with her family. They enter the common room to see The Marauders holding court in the middle of the large room. Sirius and James standing up on a table imitating monkeys, while Remus pretends to hold Peter back from them.

"What in the-" Mary says staring over at the scene.

"Ah, Sirius and Remus got into a bar fight over break. This must be the reenactment." Lily says and the girls go over to join Beth and watch the skit.

"Bravo." Beth says and claps when they finish. "But, I'm going to bed. I am beat." She says and Mary joins her as they go up to bed.

James collapses next to Lily on the couch and rests his head on her shoulder. "I should get to bed too. Lessons tomorrow and such." Lily says and he groans into her hair.

"I feel like I've hardly seen you today." He says and wraps his arms around her. She smiles, she knows what he means. Even though they sat together the whole time on the train and at dinner, it still feels like they hadn't spent that much time together.

"Then you'll have to make up for it tomorrow." She says with a wry smile.

He grins as he leans in to kiss her. "You can count on that."

-J-3-L-

Friday evening finds James and Lily sitting alone in the library finishing their Runes homework.

"Fancy sneaking into Hogsmeade tomorrow?" James asks over his parchment and Lily looks up at him with a smile.

"You have Quidditch practice tomorrow don't you?"

"Yeah, I mean after that." He explains and she gives his arm a squeeze.

"That sounds lovely."

Madam Pince comes over to them then. "The library is now closed. Get going." She says shooing them out the door.

Out in the corridor, James takes up Lily's hand in his and pulls her around the corner. "Sh, you have to see this."

"Why? What did you do?" She asks suspiciously.

"I didn't do anything, just watch." He says and points down the corridor to the library.

Lily turns her attention to where he points in time to watch Filtch walk up to the library door with a bouquet of wilting flowers. She watches as Madam Pince accepts the flowers and gives the caretaker a tight hug before leading him into the dark room.

Lily's jaw drops open and James chuckles. "Pince and Filtch?" She asks astonished.

"Yep. We found out about it in third year." James tells her.

"I suppose they make a good couple."

"You only think that because you can't imagine either of them with anyone else." He says and she laughs, knowing he's right.

They walk arm-in-arm back to Gryffindor Tower to drop their bags before heading out for patrol. When they return to the common room they join Beth and Peter by the fire.

"Where are the others?" Lily asks.

"Dates." Peter says simply.

Lily nods and watches James rest his head on the back of the couch. His eyes close and she smiles. "Tired?"

He grins, but doesn't open his eyes. "Exhausted."

"Ready for bed then?" She asks and he nods standing up and pulling her with him.

"Night." They say to their friends and climb the staircase up to James' dorm. He hands Lily her night-dress and they change before closing the curtains around his four-poster and climbing into bed.

Lily loves how comfortable and secure their relationship is. Some nights they get passionate and physical, other nights they stay up talking, and still others they fall asleep right away, satisfied to just be with each other.

Lily smiles up at James as he tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear. "You're absolutely amazing." He says in an audible whisper. _He always says the right thing._

Lily closes her eyes as she feels his hand beginning to rub small circles into her back soothingly. She sighs contentedly. "I love you." She says into his chest and he kisses the top of her head.

They fall asleep a short while later, only to be woken up a by a high-pitched girlish giggle and a shushing sound.

James stirs slightly. "I'm going to kill him." He mumbles with a groan.

Lily chuckles softly. "I don't think it's Sirius." She says and points in the direction of Remus' bed.

"Moony, either use a quieting charm or take it somewhere else!" Sirius yells, as if to confirm Lily's statement.

They hear Remus chuckle and the girl let out a squeal. "Sorry mates, I forgot." Remus answers and then they hear no more from his direction.

"Thank Merlin we never forget. What a mood killer."

James smiles and hugs her closer, bringing his lips down to nuzzle her neck. "We can always test out those charms right now."

"Not tonight lover boy." She tells him. "I'm still exhausted."

He pulls back slightly with a smile and she can tell he's exhausted as well. "That's smart. Conserve energy."

Lily chuckles, his head is already on the pillows, falling back asleep. "James?" She asks softly.

"Hm?"

"You're really, really cute when you're tired." She informs him.

He smiles, eyes still closed. "You're really, really cute always." She smiles and lays her head back down, sleep coming quickly.

They awake again to the noise around them, this time it is Peter shouting. "You knew I liked her, Moony!"

Lily groans and James curses. "Can't a bloke get a bloody good night's sleep around here?" He says loud enough that she knows the others will hear him.

Lily peaks out around the hangings to see that the sun has risen now, and she hands James his glasses. He pulls the hangings open.

"You've never even spoken to her mate!" Remus replies.

Lily sees Sirius pull back his curtains as well and James stands up to get a glass of water.

"That's beside the point!"

"Stop!" James commands and they all look at him, Peter glaring.

Peter and Remus are standing on opposite ends of the room. Peter looking like he had just come from the loo and Remus like he had just shown someone the door. Lily looks around and notices the giggling girl is nowhere to be seen. Everything clunks into place.

Sirius and James seemed to have gotten there quicker. "Which girl?" Sirius asks from his bed, looking at Peter.

"Karliea Shepherd. The Hufflepuff sixth year." Remus answers when Peter doesn't. Lily doesn't know the girl well, just by sight. She's pretty, albeit a little dim.

"And Wormy, you like her?" James asks.

"Yes, and I told Moony so months ago, yet he still brings her up here!"

"You said you thought she was pretty. Then you never mentioned her again." Remus says exasperatedly. "How was I supposed to know you feel so deeply for her? If we avoid every girl you think is pretty Wormy, we'd all be lonely." Sirius shifts uncomfortably at that.

Lily had always thought that Peter had a thing for Caitlin, and so did James it seems for he says, "What happened to chasing Caitlin?"

Peter snorts. "You know I gave that up months ago." No one responds, so Peter continues. "I can't believe you did this to me, Moony."

"Wormtail mate, it doesn't seem that serious." James says in a reasonable tone.

"Not that serious?" He shouts and looks over at James. "How would you've felt Prongs, if you found out that Padfoot shagged Lily after we all knew that you liked her?"

Lily snorts with derision and everyone looks at her, as if they had forgotten she was there. "Sorry, that was just absurd. I'd never shag Sirius."

Sirius claps his hands to his chest as if heartbroken and James grins at her before turning back to Peter.

"Despite that, I do see what you mean. I would've been beyond furious if any of you made a move for Lily. But, the difference is that you all know that I'm hopelessly in love with her. You watched as I continually tried to win her over. None of us even knew you liked Karliea mate, let alone seen you talk to her." James reasons.

"From what I can see, it just seems like a misunderstanding." Sirius says.

"Honestly Wormy, I didn't know." Remus says in a pleading voice.

Peter glares at them all for a moment before taking a deep breath and shrugging. "I guess I knew that. I'm just wound tightly or something this morning. Sorry for going off on you like that."

Remus smiles a little. "S'Okay."

And then it's over. Sirius closes his curtains around him and Remus heads to the bathroom. James comes over and collapses on the bed resting his head on Lily's stomach.

"Sorry Lily, for trying to drag you into it." Peter says as he heads towards the dormitory door.

"It's alright, Wormy." She calls and then closes the curtain around her James. She looks down at James and grins before casting _muffliato_ around them. "What was that all about?" Lily asks.

James lifts his head a little. "What?"

"When you heard them arguing you and Sirius jumped in and acted like mediators or something."

James smirks. "It's just a Marauder rule."

"What is?"

"When there's a fight amongst ourselves, at least one of us not involved directly has to be present. It helps solve the issue and break it up if it comes to using wands." He says with a shrug.

"Has it ever come to that?"

James looks torn for a moment. "A few times, nothing too serious though." He says and Lily nods, understanding that it's not something he wants to talk about.

"I have never seen you guys fight like that I guess." She says and he smiles.

"Another Marauder rule. We don't fight amongst ourselves in public. We either come up here or go to the Room of Requirement."

"So, what other Marauder rules are there?" She asks. She had never known there were rules before, but she should have guessed. As close as they are, with as many secrets as they have, there has to be something keeping them in line.

"Well, most of them are just in place to keep our secrets safe, and almost all have been broken when it comes to you." He says with a smirk. "But there are the obvious ones like, no showing anyone our Animagus forms, no showing anyone the cloak or the map, no taking anyone through the secret passageways to Hogsmeade, no girls in The Marauder Room, no taking anyone into the Room of Requirement." He lists and she smiles. He's right, he has broken all of those for her.

"Then there are some practical ones like, no pranks in the week leading to the full moon, can't risk getting a detention." She nods. It makes sense. "Then there are some silly ones." He says.

"Like what?"

"We all promised that we'd never let a bird have control over our hearts or minds." James smirks. "Like I said, almost all the rules have been broken for you."

She beams down at him. "Well, I'm glad I'm the exception to your rules."

He smiles and pulls himself up on his elbows and crawls up until he's on top of her. "Me too." He says and leans down to kiss her deeply.

"Not a bad way to start the morning." She tells him.

"I can make it even better." He says, his hand slowly creeping up her leg.

"Oy Prongs, we're heading down to breakfast. You two better hurry up or you'll miss it." Sirius shouts.

James groans as he pulls back. "Thanks for the warning." He calls to his friend and Lily chuckles.

"I cast _muffliato_." She reminds him.

"Right." James says before muttering the reversal and calling to his friends. "We'll be down in a minute." Lily hears them shut the door as they leave.

"Now, where were we?" James asks smiling as his hand continues to move up her thigh.

Lily smiles and grabs his hand. "Come on, we have to go get breakfast. You need your strength, you have Quidditch later and then you promised to take me Hogsmeade." She says and he smiles at her.

"That I did."

Lily throws the invisibility cloak over herself and sneaks back up the girl's staircase. She pulls it off before entering the dormitory to change and shower before meeting James for breakfast.

"How do you do that?" Caitlin asks when Lily walks into the room.

"Do what?" Lily asks looking around, hoping she hadn't seen her pull the cloak off. Mary and Beth must have already gone down to breakfast because she's alone in the room with Cait.

"You stay the night in James' dorm and then sneak back up here every time without anyone noticing."

Lily smirks to herself. "Dating a Marauder has its advantages." Lily repeats her words to James from months earlier.

Cait seems to ponder that. "Wonder if I should start dating Sirius again." She says more to herself than to Lily.

Lily snorts and Cait throws her a nasty look. "Sorry, it's just that Sirius isn't the most chivalrous Gryffindor, is he?"

"Oh and James is?" Cait shoots back sarcastically.

"Yes he is. Very much so." Lily says. She knows that Cait isn't convinced but she doesn't care. Cait doesn't know anything about James.

Lily freshens up and gets ready to leave before looking over at Cait. "Aren't you coming to breakfast?"

"I already ate." She says just lying in her bed staring at the ceiling. Lily looks at the time. It's only just nine on a Saturday.

"How long have you been up?"

"Hours. Run along though, I'm sure that wonder boy is waiting."

Lily feels slightly uneasy. She never got on well with Cait. She has an overpowering personality that Lily finds distasteful, but she can tell something is wrong with her. "Are you ok?" She asks.

Cait looks at her and Lily can see the tears in her eyes. "It's just my stupid uncle. He works for the Ministry, you know." Lily nods. Everyone who reads the Daily Prophet knows who Barty Crouch is.

"Well, I wrote to him asking if I could get a job in his department when we leave in June. He wrote back last night, saying that he doesn't think I'm cut out for his line of work. He says I would fit it in much better with Magical Games and Sports." She says bitterly.

Lily is slightly shocked that Cait wants to join the Department of Law and Justice. It doesn't seem to fit her character very well. "I'm sorry, Cait. That's awfully rude of him to say, especially to his own niece."

"And I went to tell Natalie this morning, but she wasn't at breakfast." Natalie Edgecombe is Cait's best friend and is in Hufflepuff. Lily feels bad for Caitlin. She certainly knows how hard it is to be best friends with someone from another house.

"I bet she's down there now. Why don't you come down with me and find her." Lily suggests kindly.

"No, I don't want to face Joe. We broke up last week and I know he's still cut up about it. I don't like seeing him like that." Lily isn't surprised that they didn't last. They'd broken up and gotten back together at least ten times since she and James had started dating.

"Well, if I see her I'll bring her up here, how about that?" Lily asks.

"That would be nice, thanks Lily." Cait says and Lily turns to leave. She isn't overly fond of Cait and they aren't friends, but they are at least closer to friends then they are enemies.

Lily spots James in the common room waiting for her and she joins him. He takes her hand in his and leads her down to the Great Hall. "What kept you?" He asks.

Lily explains about Cait and James shakes his head. "I don't blame her for being upset. Imagine if your uncle said he didn't think you were good enough. What an arse." James says and Lily agrees.

After breakfast James heads off for Quidditch practice and Lily scans the hall for Natalie. She spots her getting up from the Hufflepuff table and leaving, so she follows. Lily waves at her from across the Entrance Hall but Natalie throws her a nasty glare and disappears with some of her friends out the front doors.

_That was odd._ Lily thinks but then she remembers that Natalie doesn't like her much because she is with James. Natalie has had a crush on James for years.

"Oh well, I tried." Lily says to herself and turns to head up the marble staircase.

"Tried what, to be pretty but failed?" The horrible nasally voice of Danielle Abbott says as she steps into Lily's path.

"Oh very witty, looks like someone's trying to be smart but failed." She shoots back.

Danielle sneers. "Nice necklace. James buy you that?"

Lily can sense this is a trap, but she answers anyway. "Yes."

"Interesting, did he give you that so that you wouldn't leave him when you found out he wasn't going to give it up?" She asks.

Lily glares at her. Danielle Abbott is the very last person on earth who Lily wants to discuss her and James' sex life with. But the fact that he didn't want to have sex with her, and does with Lily, makes her feel superior to the foul girl.

"Oh that's right. I heard he finally did put out. I suppose that's what the bracelet is for." She says nodding to Lily's wrist. "He gave that to you because he can't perform quite as well as he imagines he could, did he?"

Lily absolutely cannot stand this girl.

"No actually, he gave it to me one night after I rocked his world to the breaking point." Lily says scathingly.

She doesn't know why she said it. _What is it about this annoying slag that gets my blood boiling?_

"Apparently, he could never get the same gratification before me." Lily adds viciously.

Danielle's face contorts with anger. "Smart of him to buy you expensive things to keep you around. Just think, if he knew that was all it took to get you to go out with him he probably would have started buying you jewelry ages ago."

The fury inside Lily reaches a point that she feels as if she's going to explode. _That isn't what I meant!_

"Not everyone needs money to fall in love. Some people actually have feelings." Lily tells her and Danielle sneers.

Before either of them can say anything else, Professor Flitwick approaches them.

"Not arguing I hope." He says jovially and Lily turns away from the girl she detests to smile at her favorite Professor. "I just came over to see if I can steal you away for a moment, Miss Evans." The tiny teacher says.

"Of course Sir, lead the way." Lily says following him up the marble staircase.

She is grateful for his interruption because she had been about to whip her wand out and hex the sneer off Danielle's face. Danielle shoots her one last angry glare before a wicked smile crosses her face. Lily doesn't like the look of that smile. She has a funny feeling that by this time tomorrow half the school will be under the impression that Lily is having an affair with Professor Flitwick.

"Professor McGonagall asked me to bring you up to her office for her. She's just received a letter from St. Mungo's."

Lily looks at him, panicked now. "What happened? Is it James' parents? Are they alright?" Lily asks quickly.

"Oh no, sorry dear, it's nothing like that. I didn't mean to alarm you." He says and Lily relaxes instantly.

When they reach McGonagall's office Flitwick knocks and they're told to enter. "Ah, Miss Evans. Please take a seat." She says gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk. "Thank you, Filius." She calls as Flitwick leaves.

"I received a note this morning Miss Evans, from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries." She begins and Lily nods already knowing that. "It was from the Head of Admissions for the Healer training programme. He informed me that you wrote to them and asked to be taken out of consideration for the programme for the time being." She says, looking at Lily sternly.

"I did, Professor."

"May I ask why?"

"I no longer wish to become a Healer, at least, not next year." She says with a shrug.

McGonagall raises her eyebrows. "Am I to assume then, that you will be joining the Order of the Phoenix this June instead?"

Lily looks up at her shocked for a moment. She didn't know that McGonagall knew about the Order. "Yes Ma'am, that is my intention."

McGonagall nods. "It's a noble and brave path to take Miss Evans. I want you to be certain that you are taking it for the right reasons." She says. "Not just because a certain Head Boy may be taking the same path."

Lily feels indignation flare through her. _How can she think so little of me?_

"I'm not just joining the Order because James is, Professor. I want to fight. I want to join because it's the right thing to do. It's Muggles and Muggle-borns that they hate and want to take control of. How can I not stand up for who I am?" She says heatedly.

McGonagall smiles, a real smile, and hands Lily a tin of cookies. "That, Lily, is an excellent reason to want to join the Order."

Lily smiles back and takes a cookie. "Thank you."

"I suppose it doesn't hurt though, that you'll be fighting next to the man you love." McGonagall surmises.

Lily laughs. "No, it certainly does not hurt."

"Well, I look forward to fighting alongside the both of you." She tells her.

Lily feels the same shock again. "I didn't know you were part of the Order, although I should have guessed."

McGonagall nods. "The fight needs more strong confident women such as us."

Lily agrees wholeheartedly.

-J-3-L-

James returns from Quidditch practice shortly before dinner and comes over to greet Lily where she sits finishing her Charms essay.

"Hi, love." He says taking the seat next to her.

"Hi." She answers setting down her quill to look at him.

"I'm going to change and get a shower. I'll be back shortly." He promises.

Lily smiles as he gives her another kiss and heads up to his dormitory. Beth plops herself down in the seat across from Lily.

"I hate N.E.W.T.'s." She says pulling out her Divination text-book. Lily just chuckles and puts the finishing touches on her own essay before packing it back into her bag.

"You aren't studying tonight?" Beth asks as Lily stands and straightens her robes.

"No, I have a date." Lily tells her, smiling broadly.

"Ah, well so do I."

Lily looks at her questioningly. "With the future." She says with a smile and Lily laughs.

James reappears a moment later looking refreshed, his hair still damp.

"Ready, love?" He asks holding his hand out to Lily.

"More than." She says with a grin and he pulls her out of the common room.

-J-3-L-

Lily wakes the next morning in James' arms and smiles when she sees that he is watching her.

"What?" She asks and he just grins.

"You're beautiful when you sleep." He informs her. She tilts her head up. Sensing what she wants James leans down and kisses her.

"Want to stay in bed all day?" He asks her and she smiles into his lips.

"We can stay until after lunch, then I have to meet up with Mary and Beth. I promised I'd help them with their Charms essays." She tells him and he groans.

"Well that's probably best, it's full moon tonight." He reminds her.

"I know."

She hasn't forgotten that it's a full moon night, but she's trying not to think about it. The idea of James and his friends running around the grounds illegally makes her extremely nervous. She can't protest it though, because she knows that what they do is worth the risk. Besides, they have never given her any real cause to worry. James always returns to her just before dawn, fairly unharmed. They'd come back with minor cuts or bruises and the occasional gash in the arm or leg but nothing that Lily can't fix with her wand. So why him saying the words 'full moon' sends a wave of nerves crashing through her body, she isn't positive. But she hides it from him all the same.

She knows that if he knew how scared she is he'd be torn between going and staying behind with her. She never wants him to feel that way. She wants him to know that she fully supports his decision to help his friend, as long as he always comes back to her.

"Are you alright, love?" He asks with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes, just thinking about all the work I'm going to get done without you four here to distract me tonight." She says with a smile.

James chuckles. "You love our distractions."

Lily laughs lightly and places a soft kiss on his lips. "Let's head down to breakfast."

-J-3-L-

That night Lily sits with Beth and Mary in the common room helping them with their Charms essays while she tries to tackle her Defense homework. James comes up behind her and leans over her chair to kiss her sweetly. He whispers in her ear not to worry and that he'd see her in the morning. She smiles and gives him her usual line of, "Be safe and return to me in one piece and detentionless."

He smiles and kisses her once more. "I will, love." He whispers before heading up to his dormitory where she knows Peter and Sirius will be waiting to throw the cloak over him before the three of them sneak back down and out onto the grounds.

Lily sighs.

"What's up?" Beth asks setting down her quill.

"Nothing, just not looking forward to this essay." She says gesturing to her open defense book. Beth nods and returns to her own essay.

Two hours and two complete Charms essays later, both she and Mary decide to head up to bed. "See you in the morning." Mary calls and they disappear up the girl's staircase.

Lily returns to her essay on the Unforgivable Curses. They sound awful. _Avada Kadavra_, while meaning instant death, frightens Lily the least. At least if this is used on you it's quick and easy, dead on the spot, no torture, no pain. The _Cruciartus_ curse, while causing infinite pain and suffering, still isn't the worst to Lily.

_Impirus_ is the one that frightens her the most. The idea of someone having complete control over her entire body terrifies her more than all the pain in the world. _They could make me do anything with that curse._ She thinks and shivers.

She remembers how Mulciber was going to try to use it on Mary back in fifth year. _If they can get away with it here at Hogwarts, I don't even want to think what they can pull off outside of here. _She shivers again and slams her Defense book shut. She has had enough of this tonight. She'll wait until tomorrow in the daylight to finish it.

Lily stands up and stretches, looking around the common room. There are only three other students still awake. Two fifth year girls sit at a table overflowing with stacks of parchment, writing furiously and looking through notes. Lily smiles at them weakly, remembering how stressful O.W.L's were. A boy sits a few tables away from them, head down on a text-book, apparently asleep. Lily walks over to him and taps his shoulder lightly.

"Wha- I'm up!" He says standing up quickly. "What time is it? Did I miss Transfiguration?" He asks hurriedly.

Lily smiles at the boy and realizes that it is Beth's little brother. "It's ok, Ben. Don't worry, you haven't missed anything." She assures him.

"Oh." He says and slumps back into his chair.

"Maybe you should get to bed, it's past midnight and you look exhausted." She suggests. She can't understand why he'd be up so late. He's only in fourth year.

"Yeah, thanks Lily. I just can't get the hang of this spell." He says looking at his text-book sadly.

"You know, James is excellent at Transfiguration. Maybe he can help you tomorrow after practice?" Lily suggests, smiling.

Ben looks up at her excitedly. "Really? You think he would?" He asks. Lily knows that Ben is a reserve Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and that he idolizes James.

"I'm sure of it." She tells him, and she is. She'll figure out a way to convince him.

Ben smiles at her brightly. "Thanks Lily, that's smashing." He says and waves goodnight to her as he heads up to his dormitory

Glancing over at the fifth year girls to make sure they are distracted, Lily also slips up the boy's staircase. She enters The Marauder's dormitory and makes herself at home, changing into her night-dress and then climbing into James' bed.

She falls into an uneasy sleep. Her dreams are tainted by Death Eaters and Voldemort and all the terrible and awful things they could be planning.

_**She's in a dark room. Apparently alone.**_

_**She hears a moan of pain and looks down. She's not alone, James is there.**_

_**He's lying on the floor covered in what she can only hope is paint, because no one can live with that much of their own blood spattered on them.**_

"_**Lily." He croaks.**_

_**Lily wants to rush to his side, tell him she is there and that she loves him.**_

_**But, against her will, she raises her wand. **__**She doesn't understand what she's doing, she can't control it.**_

"**Crucio**_**!" She shouts.**_

_**She watches James writhe in pain on the ground beneath her.**_

Lily screams.

"Lily! Lily, wake up!"

She feels someone shaking her and the scene starts to fade.

"Lily, it's ok, love. I'm here. Lily, calm down!" James is saying, as he leans over her.

Lily stops thrashing as she realizes it's James holding her, not a Death Eater.

"James." She whispers and loosens his grip on her and leans against the bed post.

"Are you alright, Lily? Was it just a bad dream?" He asks.

She nods at him and looks up into his face properly. She notices how pale he looks, and he looks out of breath. She glances around the dormitory and sees neither Peter nor Sirius.

"James? Are you alright? Where are the others? What happened?" She asks getting up from the bed to stand in front of him. He turns around so his back is facing her and Lily sees a long line of red soaking through his robes.

"James!" She cries and steps forward. She helps out of his robes then she instructs him to lay down carefully on his stomach.

Lily gets some wash cloths from the bathroom and grabs her wand. She cleans up around the wound carefully and heals the large gash. When she's done, she still isn't completely satisfied, so she goes to James' beside cabinet and pulls out a salve that she had made for them.

"I'm going to put this on as an extra precaution." She tells him and rubs it over the spot where the large slash once was.

"Thank you, Lily." He tells her and she smiles. She helps him lay down more comfortably on the bed.

"Now, where are the others? Are they alright?"

"Yeah, they're fine. We were in the forest and a couple of Hagrid's craphants came at us." He explains and Lily wonders what on earth a craphant is. She decides she doesn't want to know and continues to listen to him.

"Well, Wormy got scared and tried to run away but that spooked them. They charged us and it was all Padfoot and I could do to fight them off and keep Moony in check." He sighs. "One got Moony's leg and another got my back, but we were able to get out of there before it got too bad. They have those long pincers. you know." He says, mimicking pincers with his fingers. Lily nods, though she doesn't know at all what me means.

"We got Moony back into the shack and once we were into the passage Padfoot yelled at Wormy pretty bad. Wormtail got real offended and ran off towards Hogsmeade. Padfoot went after him, but I came back. I knew I wouldn't be able to help." He explains gesturing to his back.

"Well, at least you got Remus back safe and now you're safe as well." She says and he smiles at her. "Don't worry about the others. They sneak into Hogsmeade all the time. They're pros at it by now." She says confidently.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I just hope Padfoot _finds_ Wormy. He ran away as a rat." He explains.

Lily lies down next to him to try to comfort him. She begins to stroke his back with her fingertips, avoiding the areas with the salve. He groans lightly and turns his head to look at her. "Sorry, does that hurt?" She asks pulling her hand back quickly.

He chuckles lightly. "No, the opposite. It feels great." He says. Lily giggles and resumes her stroking.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" He asks her gently.

"Nothing to talk about really, just a bad dream."

"What about?" She looks up into his face.

"I was being forced by Death Eaters to torture you. You were on the ground all bloody, and all I wanted to do was help you, but I was under the Imperious Curse and they forced me to keep torturing you." She explains with tears building in her eyes.

James props himself up onto his elbows, moving his hand to stroke her cheek softly. "Lily, it was just a dream. That'll never happen." He promises.

"You don't know that, James. When we are out there, fighting for our lives, anything can happen." She reminds him.

"You shouldn't worry." He tells her. "I wish you didn't have to worry."

Lily leans her head into his palm. "I think it's all part of growing up. The worry just comes with it."

"I agree with that, I just hate that you worry."

"You're the one that's going to be worrying if you don't lie back down so that you can heal properly." She tells him and he chuckles before lying back down.

"You have to lie too. I can't see your face properly down here." He tells her and she smiles, lying on her back, turning her head to face him.

He flings his arm over her stomach and pulls her closer to himself. "You know, it's hard to make a move when I can't bend my back." He informs her.

"I guess you can't make a move then." She teases.

"I said it was hard, not impossible." He says and moves his hand slowly up her night-dress.

She chuckles lightly. "You are insatiable." She teases and then leans in to kiss him.

"Now, was that so difficult?" He asks, pulling her closer still as his hand pulls down the strap of her night-dress.

Lily hadn't closed the curtains around his bed as they were the only two in the room, but when the door bangs open James pulls his hand back from where it had been caressing her and lets it fall back onto her stomach. Lily pulls the straps back up and adjusts her night-dress so that everything is covered.

"Are you two alright?" She asks, as Peter and Sirius stomp into the room looking angry.

Peter looks over at James' back. "Prongs, I'm so sorry mate. I - I didn't…"

"Think?" James finishes but before Peter can answer he speaks again. "S'Okay, Wormy. I got my own personal Healer Lily here, I'm on the mend." He says giving Lily his one-of-a-kind grin and Peter's face lightens slightly.

"What about Moony? No one can help him for hours." Sirius points out angrily. Lily looks down at James' watch. Sirius is right, it's only just now three. Remus will be down there until after dawn alone and wounded.

"I already said I was sorry!" Peter says angrily. "I panicked. I told you. There's nothing I could've done anyway, I'm too little!"

"You could've not run at them and sent them into a fit!"

Peter opens his mouth to say something.

"STOP ARGUING!" James shouts and everyone looks over at him.

"Moony will be fine. He's had far worse injuries." James tells them. "We're all fine, back safe in our dormitory. But now I'm exhausted, so stop bickering and let's just go to sleep." He says and to Lily's surprise, they just nod and drop the conversation as they head towards their respective four-posters.

Lily notices blood on Sirius' hand and so does James, it seems. "See if he'll let you mend it. I doubt he even realizes he's hurt." He tells her.

Lily nods and picks up her wand before heading over to Sirius. "Can I take a look at your arm?" She asks tentatively.

"It's not that bad. Not like Prongs. It's just a scratch." He says shrugging out of his robes to show her the cut on his arm. He's right, it's nowhere near as bad as James' had been, but she heals it anyway and clears any traces of blood from his arm and robes.

"Thanks, Lily. Prongs was smart to let you in on our secret." He tells her.

She smiles and heads back to James' bed. "You alright Wormy?" She asks him as he emerges from the loo.

"Yeah Lily, I'm fine, no cuts." He tells her kindly.

Lily swears she hears Sirius mutter under his breath, but she ignores him and closes the curtains around James' bed before casting _muffliato_ around them and climbing in next to him.

"They're all fixed up." She tells him.

"Good, no one needs any extra care?" He asks teasingly.

"Nope, just you. And I plan on giving you all the extra care you need." She informs him.

"Well, Miss Evans, I do believe you are a naughty Healer."

"What other kind of Healer would you want?" She says and he chuckles as he wraps his arm around her waist again. She returns to the stroking of his back and he grins at her.

"You know what this means right?"

"You need rest, no more distractions." She says and he props himself up on his elbow and pulls her underneath him.

"I need a distraction from the pain." He whispers before kissing her deeply. Lily smiles and moves her hands up to tangle in his hair.

After a few minutes of pleasurable snogging, Lily breaks away from him. "You really do need rest." She tells him and he sighs.

"I know." He says and flops down onto his pillows and winces at the pain in his back. Lily kisses his shoulder lightly and then rolls onto her back. He keeps his arm around her waist and they fall asleep a short while later.

-J-3-L-

Lily wakes before the others the next morning and rolls out of bed. As is tradition on mornings when they have lessons, Lily wakes them all and makes sure they are up and moving before heading to her own dormitory. Once both Peter and Sirius are up she returns to James.

"It's time to get up, love." She whispers in his ear and she sees him blink a few times in response.

She hands him his glasses and he smiles at her. "Morning."

"Morning." She responds. He smiles and rolls over and groans. "Sore?".

"Definitely sore." He agrees. He sits up and stretches.

Lily watches him for a moment. "I better get to my dormitory. I'll see you at breakfast?" He nods and makes to stand up as well.

She kisses him swiftly on the cheek before pulling the cloak over herself and going back up to her dormitory.

-J-3-L-

That night at dinner Lily watches James stretch his back and wince. "Still sore?" She asks and he nods. "Well, you have Quidditch in less than a half hour." She reminds him.

He groans. "That should be fun."

"And Beth's little brother Ben might be under the impression that you're going to help him with his Transfiguration after Quidditch." She says sheepishly.

He looks at her with raised eyebrows. "And why would he think that?"

"Because I told him I'd convince you to do it." She says giving him a seductive smile.

"Oh alright, but I'm going to need thorough convincing tonight after rounds." He tells her and she laughs.

"I can be very persuasive." She purrs into his ear. He shivers slightly and then looks at his watch.

"Right, Quidditch." He says and stands up giving her a quick kiss on the temple before leaving the hall.

Lily heads up to the common room with Mary. "Do you know what a craphant is?" Lily asks her as they settle into the best arm chairs by the fire.

"You mean those mad things that eat nifflers?" Mary asks.

"I dunno. James mentioned one last night and I pretended I knew what he meant, but I was lost." Lily tells her.

Mary pulls out her Care of Magical Creatures text-book.

"Here, this is them. They're pretty vicious when they're scared, almost unstoppable. We didn't even get to see one up close, we had to observe them from a far." She tells Lily.

Lily pulls the textbook closer to her and examines the photo of the animal that attacked James and the others last night. It looked like it was a mix of elephant and crab with something else. "What do they do?" Lily asks astonished.

"Kettleburn says they're really useful for tomb raiding and excavating, which is why their favorite food is nifflers. They get them all the time on a dig site." Mary explains. Lily nods, having been told what a niffler was by James last year.

"So, they're dangerous?"

"Not according to Kettleburn, he says that they're really calm usually but go mad when they feel cornered." Mary shrugs. "Why did James mention them?" She asks curiously.

"He just said that Sirius acts like one when he's drunk." Lily lies casually.

Mary laughs and agrees pleasantly. Sirius appears a moment later at Lily's side.

"You look awful." Mary comments.

"Why thank you." He says sarcastically.

"That's what you get for partying all night." Mary adds.

"Exactly. I was just about to head up to the Hospital Wing for a headache cure. I was hoping I could convince our lovely Head Girl to come with me and tell Pomfrey I fell off my chair or something so she doesn't give me a hard time about it."

Lily laughs and agrees to go with him, knowing that this is just an excuse for them to go visit Remus. They enter the Hospital Wing to see Peter already sitting by Remus' bedside. Lily gives him a hug before sitting down in the chair next to Sirius.

"How ya doing, mate?" Sirius asks.

"Fine, Pomfrey fixed my leg right away. I told her I did it myself, but not sure she believes me." He tells them. "James stopped up before Quidditch, said that you healed him up."

Lily nods. "He still seemed stiff though."

"Quidditch won't help that much either." Peter says.

"Nor will any night-time activities." Sirius says suggestively.

Lily rolls her eyes at his innuendo. She hopes he isn't right though. She had promised James she'd make him tutoring Ben worth his while. And as much as it's an incentive for him, it's also a treat for her.

Remus shifts in his bed and looks uncomfortable.

"Do you need something Moony?" Lily asks, concerned.

"Just a way to not turn into a hairy beast every month." They all laugh at his joke.

Awhile later Lily makes her way back up to Gryffindor Tower. leaving the boys to chat. Not five minutes after she sits settles into one of the couches in the common room does James walk in. He collapses next to her burying his face in her hair with a groan.

"Rough practice?" She asks with a smirk.

"You have no idea. I was stiff because of my back, so I couldn't move as fast as I normally do. That caused me to take two Bludgers. One right in the middle of my back, hurt like hell." He says into her hair.

"I'm so sorry." She says and he pulls back.

"When do I have to meet Ben?" He asks reluctantly.

Lily looks at him sheepishly, feeling guilt run through her. When she promised Ben that James would help him, James hadn't been hurt and exhausted.

"You don't have to help him tonight. I'm sure he'll understand." Lily tells him.

"No, I don't mind. Besides, I'll most likely be able to help him get it in no time. If I can get Peter to where he's at, there's no one I can't teach." He says confidently.

You did help me with my Transfiguration quite a bit last year." She concedes and James tuts.

"You only asked for my help because you were too scared to tell me that Dee was cheating on me." He reminds her.

"Yes at first, but I continued to take private lessons with you because I really learned something. I never would've gotten the hang of human transfiguration if it weren't for you." She tells him. "Just like you, when you took private Charms lessons from me. You needed my help."

James smirks at her. "No, I took private lessons because I wanted to spend more time with you. I assure you that I was more than capable of a banishing charm."

Lily lets her mouth fall open. She's pretending to be upset and shocked but she's really rather flattered. It's sweet that he just wanted to spend more time with her.

"Well, I must say that is rather sneaky of you, Mr. Potter." She says with her best attempt at scorn.

"It was one of my many ways of getting you to see me in a new light."

"Well, that I saw through." She says playfully.

Ben walks in then, and with a look at James and Lily he sits down at an empty table.

"I'll see you later." James tells her and heads over to the boy. Lily watches as he sits down and the boy smiles widely across the table at his hero.

Nearly two hours later Lily heads over to the table where James is showing Ben how to make the proper movements with his wand.

"Watch this, Lily." James says as she stands next to his chair. Lily watches as Ben turns his text-book into a beetle and then back again.

"Great job Ben!" Lily compliments.

"Thanks Lily." He says, embarrassed.

"Wow Ben, that was really cool. I wish I could do that." A small girl with hair as black as James' says.

"Oh, uh, thanks, Aria." Ben says and Lily watches the pink rise in his cheeks. "It was really all Ja-" Ben cuts off quickly and it looks like James had kicked him.

"Ben here is actually pretty fantastic at Transfiguration. If you're lucky he might help you out sometime." James tells Aria.

"I'd really like that." Aria says smiling at Ben before walking away.

"Thank you so much ,James." Ben says as he watches Aria walk back to her friends. Lily can tell that he isn't just thanking him for his help with his schoolwork.

"No problem, mate. You just keep practicing those drills I was telling you about and I wouldn't be surprised if you are captain in a few years." He tells him and Ben grins.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must pay attention to my girlfriend before she realizes she's too good for me and ditches me." James says standing up and grabbing Lily's hand as both she and Ben laugh.

"It's time for patrol." She reminds him and he groans.

"Alright." He says and they head out of the common room together.

James and Lily arrive back in Gryffindor Tower an hour or so later. "How's your back?" Lily asks.

"It's just stiff, not really sore anymore."

"How about a back rub?" Lily suggests and smiles at the grin that crosses his face.

"Sounds good to me."

Making sure no one is paying attention to them, they slip up the stairs to the boys dormitories. Once inside Lily leads James over to his bed and helps him out of his robes.

"I love you." He whispers in her ear before giving her a long, sweet kiss.

Lily smiles as the break apart and tells him to lie on his stomach. He obliges and she climbs onto him so she is straddling his back. She places soft kisses on his neck as her hands move across his toned skin. Massaging and caressing his sore muscles as he lets out grunts and groans of pleasure.

"I always knew you were brilliant with your hands." He tells her.

She smiles, leaning down so that her lips are at his ear. "You're the one with the magical fingers."

He lets off another groan and before she can stop him he reaches around to flip her. Without too much jostling, he's on top of her, her back pressed into the mattress. His lips trap hers again in a deep kiss.

"Where are the others?" She asks as his lips move to her neck.

"Wormy must be staying up with Moony, but I have the cloak so I'm not sure how. And Padfoot was out on the grounds with his date. Saw them while we were doing rounds." Lily nods, deciding not to reprimand him for showing his friends special treatment.

"Good." She says and recaptures his lips with hers.

James shuts the curtains around his bed with his wand and then drops it as his hands make work at Lily's robes.

A half hour later Lily collapses next to James, both of them panting from the way she had just ridden him to their mutual completion. She lifts her head up so that James can put his arm around her and she snuggles into his side.

"I think I may be the luckiest bloke in the world." He says and kisses her forehead.

Lily's about to respond but the dormitory door crashes open.

"What now?" Lily asks exasperated. She knows she shouldn't be so upset. It is, after all, a shared dormitory. But she's getting sick of her and James always being interrupted in these perfect moments.

"Prongs, Lily, we need you!" Sirius calls.

James sits up and leans over the side of the bed to hand Lily her clothes. Once they are both decent again, he opens his hangings.

"What is it, mate?" James asks, then seeing all three of his friends he straightens up. "What's going on?" He asks more seriously.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Sirius says angrily. "Wormtail here thought it'd be a good idea to sneak his way down to Slughorn's private stores alone and try to break in, without the cloak!"

"What!?" James and Lily ask at the same time.

"Did you get caught?" Lily asks.

"Just by these two." Peter says sheepishly.

"How did you know?" James asks them.

"He was up in the Hospital Wing with me and then he had something he needed to do. It sounded shifty to me and he wouldn't tell me what was going on. So when I saw my chance, I snuck out. It took me awhile to find him, but I ran into Sirius. He saw him sneaking down to the dungeons and together we got to him before Filtch or one of the teachers could." Remus says and Sirius nods.

"Well I'm glad you did. What were you thinking mate?" James asks Peter. Lily had never known Peter be so reckless, that is, without one of the other's influences.

"Well, last night I noticed that Lily used all that salve on your back and I thought that she might need more. I looked up the ingredients in the library today while you all were in Potions. I decided I'd gather everything for her so that she can make some more." He says sheepishly shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

"Oh Wormy, you didn't have to do that. Slughorn'll let me have the ingredients I need." She says with a smile. "Besides, I'm hoping I'll never have to use that salve again. It's only needed with really bad cuts or infected wounds. And you four aren't ever going to be that careless again are you?" She asks in a threatening tone.

They all look uncomfortable as if being scolded by their mother.

"No, course not Lily, we learned from our mistake." Sirius says.

"Yeah, we aren't taking that path again. We'll go the long way if we have to." James promises her. This appeases her.

Remus looks over at Peter again, the light-hearted mood fading slightly.

"You can't pull stuff like that mate, especially without the cloak." Peter nods. "You could have gotten into big trouble tonight."

"So could you." Lily points out. "Pomfrey'll have your head for sneaking out of the Hospital Wing."

Remus nods. "She won't be pleased if she catches me."

"Then don't let her catch you." James says with a shrug. He hands his friend the invisibility cloak and Remus nods.

"Alright, I'll see you all at breakfast." He promises and throwing the cloak on and disappears.

James looks over at Sirius and catches his eye. With a solemn nod, Sirius turns and heads for his four-poster not saying anything. It still amazes Lily how they all seemed to look to James for instructions.

"Never a dull moment in the Marauder dormitory." He says.

Lily smiles up at him. "Never."

He takes her hand and makes to lead her back to his bed but Lily sighs. "I'm going up to my room. Without the cloak someone will see me if I try sneaking down tomorrow morning." She smiles at James' disgruntled look and she kisses him sweetly. "Good night." She says.

"Good night, love. I'll see you at breakfast."

* * *

**A/N – Well, I hope you liked it :-) **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N – I know, I know, I know! I took forever to update this time! But, I was sick and then I had to be write my Maid of Honor speech for my sister's wedding that was on Saturday, so I really did have a legitimate reason for being such a flake for the last couple weeks. And, also, I am really, really, really sorry! **

**I just want to say how very happy I am and how much I really appreciate all the support. Over 100 reviews - WOW - Thank you all so much, it's for you that I do this :-)**

* * *

James and Lily walk down to potions together the following Monday, hand-in-hand. James spots Sirius up ahead cozying up to a sixth year Hufflepuff and he can't pass up the opportunity to take the piss. He walks up behind them and clears his throat loudly.

"Why, Mr. Black, I believe snogging in the corridor is against Hogwarts policy."

James smirks as the girl squeals at being reprimanded by the Head Boy before she scurries up the corridor and out of sight.

"Way to ruin the moment, Prongs." Sirius complains as they take their seats in Slughorn's classroom.

"I'm sure you'll find her later and recreate it." Lily comments and James chuckles. He loves how she joins in their playful banter.

"Probably." Sirius concedes.

Slughorn calls for their attention as class begins and James hears Sirius snigger from across the table. He looks up at his best friend to see him and Remus grinning over at the Slytherin table. James looks over to see Snape looking paler than usual, even a bit skinner. James looks away, not wanting to feel the guilt rising inside him. James can understand how the repulsive boy is feeling. He remembers how he felt when Lily was dating Selwyn. It was the worst feeling in the world. But at least he and Lily were friends during that time. He could at least talk to her and be around her.

James can't feel too sorry for Snape though, he is, after all, pining after his girlfriend.

When the bell rings signaling the end of the lesson James and Lily hang back for a moment, planning on sneaking off before lunch to have a snog without their friends noticing. Surely Sirius would want to get revenge on James for him running his snog session before class.

"Oi, Potter!" James stops and turns around to face Snape who gives him a vindictive smirk.

Lily stays by his side and gives his hand a little squeeze as he responds. "Yeah Snape, what is it?"

Snape glances down at James and Lily's intertwined fingers before speaking. "I – uh – just wanted…" He stutters. James just stares at him. Snape seems uncomfortable that Lily is present. "To say – uh…" James can sense Snape's reluctance and can guess that he wants to either hex James or at least hurl a few insults his way.

"This is very fascinating stuff, Snape, but we'd actually like to get to lunch." James says, holding up his and Lily's intertwined hands and gesturing to the stairs that lead to the Entrance Hall.

Snape just nods and glares at James before turning and heading down deeper into the dungeons, towards the Slytherin common room.

"What was that about?" Lily asks as they climb the stairs.

"No idea." James tells her honestly. It was the strangest interaction he has ever had with the boy. It makes him uneasy, like there was more to it and he just isn't seeing it yet. He thinks through the whole communication while they eat lunch. He decides, in the end, that Snape's just too strange to even try to understand.

After lunch James, Lily and Sirius stand chatting in the Entrance Hall when Professor McGonagall comes down the marble staircase. "Mr. Potter!" She calls to get his attention.

"Yes, Professor?" He asks feeling apprehensive. The only time his favorite Professor has ever called for him in the corridors is when he's in some sort of trouble.

She reaches them then and her expression looks almost scared. "The Headmaster wishes to see you in his office straight away." She glances between Sirius and Lily. "Perhaps it's best if you go with him Lily, Sirius." She says nodding to them. "I'll inform Professor Flitwick of your absence."

James is unable to move, a feeling of unease creeping through his body. Lily takes up his hand in her own and squeezes it tightly. He isn't exactly sure how he maneuvered up through the castle to Dumbledore's office, but the next thing he remembers is sitting down in front of the old man with Lily and Sirius on either side of him. James looks over at Sirius to see that his expression must mirror his own; confused, frightened and stoic. Dumbledore peers at him over his half-moon spectacles.

"I'm glad you are here Sirius, Lily. It will save me the trouble of finding you later." He informs them.

Lily nods but neither James nor Sirius acknowledge that he spoke. James looks over at Lily, unable to speak. He gives her a pleading look, knowing that she'll know what he needs.

She turns back to their Headmaster. "Sir, what's happened? Are Mr. and Mrs. Potter alright?"

Dumbledore looks down at his desk gravely. "I'm afraid that there has been an attack." Dumbledore begins. "A group of retired Ministry officials were having lunch in Diagon Alley when it happened. The Death Eaters blew apart the building where the lunch was being held and a few of its neighbors." James shudders.

"I'm sorry to say James that your father was one of the victims in this attack." Dumbledore says looking at James with concern in his eyes. Lily covers her mouth in horror and squeezes James' hand tighter.

"He arrived at St. Mungo's along with some of the other injured about a half hour ago. He is still alive, I'm told, but in very critical condition. I'm afraid I do not have many details beyond that. You're mother just arrived and told me to send you three along as soon as possible." He tells them.

James feels his heart lighten slightly. _He isn't dead._ _My dad will live to see my graduate Hogwarts. He'll live to see me marry Lily. He'll live to see his grandchildren. _He keeps these thoughts in his head as they use the floo to St. Mungo's and are directed where to go by the Welcome Witch.

James sees his mother standing in an empty corridor just staring at a door. "Oh Jamie dear!" She calls when she sees him and she pulls him into a tight hug. James returns it before letting her go so she can hug Sirius and Lily in turn.

James conjures up some chairs for them and they sit in the empty corridors outside the Emergency Ward, waiting. Lily keeps his hand clamped in both of hers and he can see the worry in her eyes. About an hour after James and the others arrived, a Healer exits the ward and walks over to them. James and his mother stand.

"Mrs. Potter?" She asks and Mrs. Potter nods holding onto her sons arm.

"You husband sustained far too many injuries in the attack for us to be able to heal him. He wasn't hit with the initial blast, but from what we can gather, he was crushed by the falling stone while trying to save a woman and her children." The Healer pauses to clear her throat. "I'm very sorry to say that almost all the bones from his shoulders down were crushed beyond repair. We have given him several very strong pain relief potions, so he's not in any pain. He's awake right now, but once the blood stops pumping to his brain he will be gone. I'll let you back to say goodbye, we have him in a private room." She finishes, sounding sympathetic.

Sirius stands and takes their mother's other arm as she begins to sob. James holds out his free hand and Lily takes it immediately. He looks over at her to see silent tears falling from her eyes. The four of them walk together into James' father's room.

"Don't cry, Martha." James hears his father say, but it's wrong; weak, sad, tired. It is nothing like the deep, strong, comforting voice James has always known. "We have lived such a long and happy life together." He tells her and James mother goes around to the right side of his bed and kneels down next to him.

"Oh Charles." She says and the tears continue to fall.

"Lily, my dear." He says turning to look at the red-head next to James. "You are the sweetest young woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. It makes me wish we had a daughter, Martha." He says and Mrs. Potter chuckles lightly. "I truly think of you as part of our family, Lily. I'm eternally grateful that you decided to settle for my son. You have really turned him around for the better."

Lily smiles as she walks forward to kiss the old man's cheek. "I know you'll keep my boys in line after I'm gone." She nods to him and then returns to James' side fresh tears on her cheeks.

"Sirius, my boy. I have felt for many, many years now that I have two sons and not one." Sirius nods.

"You're the only father I've ever known. Thank you so much for… for everything really. I don't know what I'm going to do –" Sirius breaks off with a soft sob being retched from his throat.

"You'll survive son, you always do. You're strong and you're turning out to be a better man than Martha and I could have hoped for. I want you to listen to your brother's advice. He'll teach you how to keep a level head and show you how to find a good woman and settle down." Sirius chuckles and tries to wipe the tears from his face.

His father looks at him and James feels the tears beginning to swell in his eyes. "Dad?" James says speaking for the first time since McGonagall reached them in the Entrance Hall. "I love you."

"I love you too, son." James doesn't think he can bear to hear his father's words for him, hearing him speak to Lily and Sirius had been hard enough. "I need you to listen to me very closely." James nods.

"Your mother has Dragon Pox. She didn't want me to tell you, but now that I won't be around, I need someone to make sure she's taken care of." James' mother squawks in protests but he continues. "Ask her Healer to explain the potions and the treatments, she doesn't think she needs them, but she does."

"Charles!"

"James, look after her." James nods. "And look after Sirius. Don't let him crash that motor bike." James, Lily and Sirius all chuckle. "And don't you ever even think about doing Lily wrong or I will come back as a ghost and haunt you until your dying day."

"I would never, dad." James promises going to his father's bedside and kneeling down. He takes the man's broken hand in his. Knowing that it's the last time he'll ever see or speak to his father makes James feel like his heart is being pulled out of his chest.

"You're the oldest Potter man now, James. Do it justice." James nods again tears flowing silently down his cheeks.

"Martha, my love." He turns his head to his wife. "You've given me everything I've ever needed in life. We have truly lived a full life together. I die a happy man because of you." James can see the tears in his father's eyes now.

Sirius kneels next to their mother and puts his arm around her to comfort her and Lily kneels at his side resting her head on his shoulder, arms wrapped around his. James cries with his mother, his brother and his true love at his father's death-bed.

"I love you all." The old man wheezes before taking his final breath.

In later years James will come to realize he is grateful that he had these last few moments to say goodbye to his father. But at that moment, he isn't sure how he can cope with the heartbreak.

-L-3-J-

The morning before they are due back to Hogwarts, James wakes with Lily in his arms. He can never express to her what her mere presence has done to make this whole ordeal bearable for him.

The funeral had been two days ago and he and Sirius had stood on either side of their mother with Lily next to him. James couldn't help himself from admiring how beautiful she looked even in funeral robes with her hair pulled back and tears streaking her cheeks. Watching her through the corner of his eye is what kept him from completely breaking down.

The funeral itself hadn't been that bad. There were over three hundred other attendees standing around them. It was sad, yet, happy. The way his father had died was horrible, but it's true that he was quite old and lived a long and very happy life. The worst part for James was realizing his mother is truly alone now. She stayed stoic throughout the funeral and wake though, accepting everyone's condolences and kind words. James knows she's grieving beyond words or tears now.

His father being the retired Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation meant that most of the most prominent Ministry Officials turned up at the funeral to pay their respects, as well as several dozen international friends and acquaintances. Potter Manor, while being a very large place, felt small with all the people crammed inside. Lily stood by him though as person after person paid their respects. He's eternally grateful for her presence.

James kisses Lily's forehead to wake her and a short while later they walk together down to the kitchen together. "Did you take your potion yet?" James asks his mother the moment they enter.

"Yes I took it, but really I will be fine Jamie, no need to fuss." She says. James holds up his hand to stay her arguments.

"You neglected to tell us that you're sick, so you have to face the consequences. I've instructed Tilly to make sure you take all your potions every morning, even if she has to force feed them to you." He tells his mother.

She stares at him angrily for a moment and then sticks her tongue out at him like a child. James, Lily, Sirius and his mother all break into laughter. It is nice to see his mother laughing. He knows that once they are back at school it'll be hard for her, but he expects that she'll have plenty of friends visiting.

* * *

Lily and James walk down an empty corridor holding hands on their nightly patrol. It had been only a week since his father's funeral. They had grown stronger, if at all possible, after his father's death. They're united now in helping his mother. They're a force of two when it comes to her constant arguments that she doesn't need to be babysat by Tilly. They'd always been united in their want to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters, but it seems to have intensified now.

"He knew, Lily." James says quietly, breaking the silence.

"Who knew what?" She asks confused.

"Snape. He knew that my father had been, or was going to be, attacked. Remember how he was acting that day, how strange of a conversation we had? He wanted to gloat, but you were there, so he didn't."

Lily can hear in James' voice that he didn't want to tell her this, but that it was eating him up on the inside. _He's probably right though_. _It certainly seems so, with Snape's strange behavior that day. And wouldn't that just fit his personality? To jeer at the loss of a loved one?_

They reached a broom closet and soft moans and giggles can be heard inside. Lily raises her eyebrows at James and continues on down the corridor to let him take this one. He's always been better than her when it comes to scolding couples who are caught in broom closets after hours. Lily always finds herself trying not to giggle.

She continues on, making sure to keep James in her sight. When she comes to what should be an empty classroom, she stops. There is something slightly off about the groans and grunts of pleasure coming from inside. She sighs, leaning up against the wall next to the door to wait for James. She wonders why people still try to sneak around in empty classrooms or broom cupboards at night. You'd think they'd of learned by now.

As the sounds continue to come from the room Lily finally realizes what is off about it. There is no female voice. All the grunts and groans are male, and by the sound of it, just one male. _Is there some bloke in there wanking?_ She wonders and the thought slightly disgusts her. But, never having been able to control her curiosity before, Lily lifts on up tip-toes to peak in the small window at the top of the door.

She knows instantly that she's wrong. Leaning against the front desk, robes open and pants around his ankles, is Severus Snape. In front of him is a blonde haired girl, Lily doesn't know who, because her face is currently pressed into Snape's crotch.

Lily backs away from the door quietly and looks down the corridor to see James smiling slightly as he walks towards her. When he reaches her he almost speaks but Lily quickly puts a hand over his mouth and gestures to the door. He listens and then looks at her questioningly as he hears the grunts coming from the room. She points to the window and James walks over to look in. He turns back to her a look of sheer euphoria on his face.

"Snivelly with his pants down." He says wonderingly.

Lily wants to warn him that he's Head Boy and that he can't do anything other than give out a few detentions and take some points away, but the warning stops in her throat. After figuring out that Snape probably knew about James' father's attack, and had planned on taunting James about it, she feels that James deserves this moment of satisfaction. She knows he won't take it too far. They both raise their wands and open the classroom door.

"Well, what have we here?" James asks.

At his words the blonde girl jumps back, falls on her arse and gets up quickly going extremely red in the face. Snape stands frozen staring at James' wand, erection out in the open for all to see. Lily tries not to look at it, but she can't help it. Nor can she help the small smile that comes to her face. She has always known that James is more of a man than Snape.

"Not only are you both out-of-bounds in a restricted classroom, but you're also out," James checks his watch, "four hours after curfew." He says and shakes his head in mock disappointment. "Furthermore, committing acts against Hogwarts policy." He adds and Lily can almost hear the glee in his voice.

"Cassandra," James addresses the blonde girl but doesn't look at her. "Forty points from Slytherin. Get back to your common room before we double it and put you in a week's worth of detention."

Cassandra rushes past Lily giving her a disgusted look that Lily returns before turning back to watch James glare at Snape.

"I know you knew, Snape." He says angrily.

Snape ignores him. "Were you and your _girlfriend_ looking to get some tips, Potter?" Snape asks in a sickening voice, sneering the word girlfriend. "I'm not sure how long you were watching but Cass can sure give a good suck off." He continues.

"You're vile, Snape." James says in a dangerous voice.

"I know it must be hard for you, Potter. I've always heard Mudbloods aren't any good at –" before he can finish his sentence, James has his wand to Snape's throat.

"One more word about Lily and I'll make sure that you regret the day you were born." He promises. Snape swallows but doesn't speak again.

"I'm going to let you leave here Snape, with just forty points for Slytherin and a detention, but make no mistake that next time we meet, I won't be so kind." James promises and Lily hears hatred in his voice, something she has never heard there before.

James walks backwards towards the door, still glaring at Snape who glares back. Lily holds out her hand and grabs James'. Snape turns to glare at her then but Lily doesn't look at him, she just squeezes James' hand as they leave the classroom, and Snape, still exposed, behind them.

Lily knows that she shouldn't have let James threaten Snape like that, feels like she should have shown a little more compassion for her former best friend. She should have at least let him pull up his pants before James held a wand to his throat. But there comes a time when you really have to choose who you're loyal to. Lily has known for a long while now that she'll always be loyal to James. The boy that she had once known so well is gone forever in a sea of Dark Magic and anger. He'll never be Sev again.

Lily looks up at the man she loves and feels the tension in his muscles. She can feel the anger still in him. She wraps her free arm around his and tugs him over behind a tapestry. He looks down at her and she's surprised to see sadness on his face.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper back there, Lily. I just –" Lily cuts him off by placing a kiss on his lips.

"James, you had every right to lose your temper with him. In fact, I probably wouldn't have judged you if you had hexed him." He looks completely shocked now. "Although, I'm very proud that you didn't." She says wrapping her hands around his neck.

"You aren't mad?" He asks. "I mean, I just threatened and humiliated him in front of you." He says still looking sad.

"He deserved it." Lily shrugs. "For your father," she says and then looks him directly in the eyes, "and for me."

"You hate it when I defend you like that." He says a small smile pulling at his lips.

"I don't always like it, but I know that you hate hearing that word as much as I do, especially from him. I can't be angry that you did the exact thing I wish I could have done in that situation." James smiles and leans down to kiss her.

"I love you, Lily." He says and kisses each of her cheeks. "I love everything about you." He says moving his lips to her ear. "How you never stop surprising me." His lips move to her neck. "How wrong Snape was about you not being good at those sorts of things." Lily giggles and hits his arm playfully as his lips move up to her chin. "How you are always by my side." He says and his lips move to the corner of her mouth. "But mostly Lily, I just love you." He tells her and pulls her up so he can kiss her properly.

She lets herself melt into the kiss. A few minutes later they decide to finish their patrol and head back to the common room. Lily knows he won't admit it but she can tell that James is eager to tell his friends about finding Snape with his pants down.

-J-3-L-

The following weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend and Lily can't deny that she has been waiting for it for weeks. Barry had written to her and Mary a few days before James' father had died. He told them that he's going to be surprising Beth for her birthday and that he needs their help. Mary had done most of the planning since Lily had other things on her mind, but today is all about Lily's part.

Lily can't help feeling like she has been a bad friend to Mary and Beth lately. She spends most of her time with James or with James and the others, sometimes that includes Mary and Beth but it's hardly ever just the three of them anymore. So, today is her opportunity to make it up to them.

She runs through her plan once again. She and The Marauders will head into Hogsmeade. With their help, Lily is going to transform one of the old abandoned buildings into a beautiful place for Beth and Barry to shack up for the night. Then when Mary arrives with Beth they'll take her shopping and out to lunch just the three of them. After that they'll deposit her to Barry. Then tomorrow morning Lily and James will sneak into Hogsmeade to get Beth and bring her back to the castle safely.

Lily sits at breakfast bouncing in her seat, Sirius and Remus across from her. "Where's James?" She asks anxiously as she continues to glance at the doors to the Great Hall.

"Wormtail held him up." Remus explains.

"Don't worry Lily, he won't miss this. He knows how important it is to you." Sirius tells her. She smiles but doesn't stop fidgeting.

Breakfast is almost over when James and Peter arrive. "Hi." James says taking the empty seat next to her. "Sorry I'm a little late. I didn't mean to worry you." He says and kisses her on the cheek.

"I wasn't worried." Lily lies.

"Oh, so the Prophet tore itself to pieces? New feature I suppose?" He says with a cheeky grin and both Sirius and Remus snort. Lily glares at them and they turn back to their plates immediately.

"I was a tad worried." She concedes. "What kept you?"

He gives her a look that quite plainly says, _I'll tell you later_. "Nothing, just a chat with Wormy."

"Well, I saved you a bacon sandwich." She says, handing it to him.

He begins to eat it very slowly and Lily tries not to look impatient. He looks over at her and grins. "I'm just kidding, love." He says and shoves the rest of the sandwich into his mouth before standing up. "Let's go, I know you are anxious to get there." He says holding his hand out to her.

Lily smiles as she pulls him out onto the grounds half running down the path to Hogsmeade. "Lily, slow down. Let the other's catch up." He says and she slows.

"Oh fine." She says and he smiles at her impatience.

"We have plenty of time, don't worry."

Once they five of them have completely redone the run down building, making it look beautiful, Lily stands back and smiles.

"Thank you all so much." She says and then looks over at Remus with a sad smile. She knows it must have been hard for him to fix up this place for Beth and her boyfriend. She catches his arm as they all turn back to head for the high street.

"Moony, I really appreciate you doing this." She tells him and gives him a knowing smile.

He shrugs. "You needed my help."

"Yes, but you don't owe me anything, you didn't have to help."

"Even if we pretend that's true, I still owe Prongs. I don't think that you'll disagree that if I denied you when you asked me, Prongs would've made me help anyway." Lily laughs and nods, knowing that he's right.

When they reach the high street Sirius, Remus and Peter head to the Three Broomsticks for a drink and James hangs back to wait with her for Mary and Beth. He sits down on a bench in front of Honeydukes and Lily cuddles into him. "Thank you." She says and he smiles down at her.

"For what?"

"Helping today, even though I know you don't really care for Barry."

"No, but we all like Beth and want her to have a good birthday. Besides, we'd do anything you asked us to." Lily kisses him sweetly and a moment later Mary and Beth appear.

"Happy Birthday, Beth." James says and gives her a hug. "You ladies have fun today, if you need us we'll be in the Three Broomsticks." He says with a wink and crosses the road to the pub.

"Ready for some fun?" Mary asks excitedly and the girls head off to do some shopping.

After lunch Lily and Mary pull a blindfolded Beth down one of the side streets towards the building that had, until recently, been abandoned. "Nice job." Mary tells Lily and she smiles.

"Thanks, I had some marauding help." She says with a wink.

"What are you two on about?" Beth asks, blind to the beautiful building.

"You'll understand in a minute." Mary says and leads her up the steps to the room where Barry stands waiting.

Lily pulls the blindfold off and together she and Mary yell, "Surprise!"

After a few moments of squealing delightedly and hugging and kissing of her boyfriend, Beth returns to them and gives them both a hug for being 'the best friends a girl could ask for'.

"Have fun you two!" Mary calls over her shoulder.

"James and I will come and collect you in the morning!" Lily promises and together Lily and Mary head to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with The Marauders.

Lily finds the four friends laughing riotously at something when they walk in. Lily pauses to admire the sight of James laughing with his friends. He looks so happy and full of life. Lily can't help but love this about him. Even with all the bad things that have happened to him, he's still able to find the good in life. She walks over to them with Mary in tow. James smiles as she approaches and he stands up and offers her his chair.

"Here love, sit down, I'll go get you a drink." He says giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Mary, what would you like?" He asks.

"Just a butterbeer is fine, thanks James." She says pulling up a chair between Sirius and Peter.

Lily looks at the drink in front of her expecting to see firewhiskey but smiles at the glass of mead. It's nice to know that James and his friends aren't always getting drunk whenever they go to the pub by themselves. Sometimes they just want to go for a pint and relax. James returns with the drinks and conjures a chair to sit between Remus and Lily. They all sit around enjoying the second to last Hogsmeade trip, laughing.

A sixth year Ravenclaw approaches them and asks if Mary wants to join him over at Madam Puddifoot's. Mary smiles and accepts his offer leaving the Marauders and Lily alone.

An hour or so later, Lily and James are chuckling and whispering under their breath as they listen to yet another of Remus' and Sirius' debates over who is more desirable to the opposite sex.

"I'm telling you Moony, I'm just sexier. Witches find me irresistible."

Remus scoffs. "They only want you for a second. I keep them coming back for more."

"You think we could get them to make a bet on this?" Lily whispers to James and he chuckles.

"I'm sure we can." He whispers back.

"I bet you five galleons that I could pick up a witch faster than you!" Sirius declares.

"We didn't even have to do anything." Lily says forgetting to whisper and James laughs loudly.

"I'll take that bet!" Remus challenges ignoring James and Lily.

"What are the terms?" Peter asks excitedly.

"If I win, then Moony has to give me five galleons and drop out of the running for Diana Bloomsburry." Sirius says.

"Diana Bloomsburry?" Lily asks.

"Hufflepuff that graduated two years ago." Peter tells her.

"Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail used to fight over her all the time." James says with a chuckle.

"I remember her now, she was rather pretty." Lily says remembering the tall blonde haired girl who looked like she belonged on a runway rather than in a Herbology lesson. Lily used to dislike the girl. She recognizes now that it was probably because of how she always used to stop James in the hall and talk Quidditch tactics with him.

James shrugs. "She was alright."

"You're just cross because you were taken out of the running back in fourth year." Peter says taking a swig of his mead.

"Why were you taken out of the running?" Lily asks curiously.

"Prongs promised us that he wouldn't go after Diana as long as none of us went after you." Sirius says nonchalantly.

Lily laughs and James looks at her. "What?" He asks defensively.

"Nothing, it's just… you got swindled, James."

James looks completely perplexed, almost angry. He turns on his friends like he's about to hex them. "Alright then, which one of you went after Lily?"

"It wasn't me mate, I swear!" Sirius says holding his hands up innocently.

"No, no!" Lily says quickly and he looks back at her. "I just mean that, they made a smart move getting you to make that deal."

"How so?" James asks, the hurt expression still not cleared from his face.

"They probably knew that you were the only one who actually stood a chance at successfully asking out Diana. So, they took you out of the running, knowing full well that I wouldn't date any of them anyway." She says knowingly.

James smiles at her. "You know Lily, I never thought of that." He says looking amazed at her logic.

"Well I'm glad you didn't, or else you may be sitting here with Diana Bloomsburry instead of me." She says, pouting a little.

James smirks at her. "Like that would ever happen. You might have known you would never date any of these prats, but I didn't. I was more than glad to give up Bloomsburry at even the idea of having a slightly higher chance of having you." He informs her.

"Hey!" Sirius protests at being called a prat, but James and Lily ignore him as they share a kiss.

"Anyway, back to the bet." Peter says. "So, if Padfoot wins he gets five galleons and Moony drops out of the running for Diana. What do you get if you win, Moony?"

Remus thinks about it. "_When_ I win, I get five galleons and Padfoot has to drop out of the running for Diana."

James snorts. "If only you came up with this bet in fifth year." He says and Peter chuckles. "Alright, how do we decide a winner?"

"Since it's a bet to see who is better with birds I say we leave it up to them." Peter says with a shrug.

"I like that. How about you both have to chat up a girl and whoever is fastest at getting their girl to go upstairs with them is the winner." James suggests.

Ordinarily Lily would protest to the objectifying women in such a way, but she's extremely curious as to who is going to win this bet. Also, she thinks it might end in one of them getting slapped, which would be fun to see as well.

"Sounds good to me." Sirius says looking around the room to scope out a girl.

"The catch is." James continues with a smile. Both Remus and Sirius look at him. "Lily picks the girls."

Both Peter and Lily grin wickedly at this. "Oh come on mate, that isn't fair!" Sirius protests.

"Scared of losing?" Remus asks.

"No!" He says quickly. "Go on and pick, Lily."

Lily smirks as she looks around the bar. She doesn't want to sick them on any Hogwarts students, knowing that it is just a game. She also doesn't want to make it too easy for them. She spots a witch sitting alone at the bar. Black hair tied up in a high pony tail, she looks like she's enjoying her glass of wine while chatting up a wizard at the bar.

"Alright Remus, you're up first and your target is sitting at the end of the bar." She tells him.

James smirks as he locates the girl. "Perfect."

"Alright, watch how it's done Padfoot." Remus says with a grin and drains his mug before heading up the bar, getting a glass of the wine she is drinking from Rosemerta and sitting down next to the witch.

"Nicely done." James comments as the woman turns to look at Remus with a smile.

They watch as they talk for a few minutes and then as the woman's hand makes its way to Remus' thigh.

"No way." Sirius says and Lily sees his shocked face.

Remus puts his arm around the back of her chair and leans in to whisper something in her ear. She laughs loudly and nods her head enthusiastically. Remus just grins as he stands up and helps her down from her stool. When the pair reaches the steps that lead up to the rooms of the Inn, Remus turns around and wriggles his eyebrows suggestively at his friends and disappears up the stairs.

"No way!" Peter says voicing everyone's shock.

"That was less than twenty minutes." Lily says, checking James' watch.

"He's good." James admits. "That's going to be hard to beat Padfoot."

"I think he cheated somehow." Sirius says while shaking his head. James chuckles.

"Alright Lily, time to pick Padfoot's girl." Peter says excitedly.

Lily looks around. She doesn't want to bruise Sirius' ego too much but she knows that no matter who she picks, he won't be as quick to get her upstairs as Remus had been.

"Alright, over there, two girls just walked in from the street. You have your choice." Lily tells him.

"Perfect." Sirius says. He stands up and checks his reflection in the mirror before heading over to the girls.

"No way is he going to beat twenty minutes." Peter says disbelievingly.

"No, but it'll be interesting to watch." James states. Lily smiles and she turns to Peter.

"After tonight it'll be one less person you have to fight for Diana." She reminds him.

"Yeah, but I'll probably just concede. No way will she go for me over Moony or Padfoot." He says looking down trodden.

"Ah come on mate, I thought you were over all this self-deprecating shit after last night." James says and Peter looks at him then at Lily in embarrassment.

"What happened last night?" She asks.

"Nothing, just Wormy and I had a chat and I thought he got over it." James says and Lily knows he's lying but she doesn't press it. She just looks at Peter.

"Yeah, I'm a little more confident, but I doubt I'm in her league, you know." He says sitting up straighter.

"Well how about her?" Lily asks pointing over at a pretty looking girl sitting with her friends. "She's cute. I think she's a Ravenclaw, right James?"

James smirks at her. "Yeah, she is. Isn't she, Wormy?"

Peter blushes furiously. "Yeah, that's Sheng Vue. She's a fifth year." Peter admits. James smiles knowingly at him.

"Well, go chat her up. You're not technically part of the bet, but it doesn't mean you can't have fun."

"Thanks Prongs, I think I will." Peter heads up to the bar and gets a butterbeer along with a fresh pint of mead for himself and goes and sits down next to the girl who blushes when he hands her the drink.

"So, what's really going on with Peter?" She asks James as they move to a more secluded booth near the back.

"Last night - don't laugh ok?" James says and Lily nods. "Last night was Peter's first time." James tells her and Lily looks at him astonished.

"His first, first time?" She clarifies.

"Yeah." James tells her.

"With who?"

"Sheng."

Lily looks at him completely taken aback. "So, I just basically forced him to go chat up the girl he shagged last night?" Lily asks.

"Yeah. Apparently he asked her if she wanted to take a walk around the lake last night and they ended up going at it in the pumpkin patch behind Hagrid's hut." James explains.

"Oh Merlin, can you imagine." Lily tries to imagine what it would be like to lose your virginity in such a strange place. She's glad that she has James and he made sure it was special for both of them. "Is that what he wanted to talk to you about this morning?" She asks.

"Yeah, he hasn't told the others yet. He isn't looking forward to their teasing."

"Will it be bad?"

"Probably." James admits. "He's the last one, it'll be like Christmas for Padfoot. Moony will be more understanding, but still badger him with questions."

"Was it bad for you when they found out about us?"

"They went easy on me. But I think that's only because they know I won't put up with any teasing about you. I'd hex their bollocks off."

Lily smirks. "Why?" James looks at her amazed.

"You'd understand if you heard one of these conversations – actually I hope you don't ever hear one because you'd leave me in a second." He says and she smirks. "But, it's just the stuff blokes talk about and the idea of anyone talking about you like that…" He trails off and Lily doesn't need him to continue.

"So, you don't tell them anything about us… at all?" She can't hide her disappointment. She had sort of been hoping he would brag to his friends about how she blows his mind, best shag ever, or something.

James shrugs. "It's hard to explain. I tell them stuff, and we discuss things, it's just different when it's about you. They don't really like it when I tell them about us anyway. They all think of you like their little sister." She smiles at this news. "I think part of them wants to curse me for the things I tell them just as much as they want to high-five me." He says with a smirk and she returns it.

"Boys are so strange."

"Girls don't talk about these kinds of things?" He asks and Lily can tell he is trying not to show how curious he really is.

"We do, but we don't go into too much detail. Girls are more private." James is about to respond when Lily elbows him and he turns to watch Sirius climbing the stairs to the private rooms with a girl on each arm.

"He got both girls?" James asks astonished.

"In only a half hour." Lily says looking at James' watch. "I didn't see that coming." She admits.

"Who do you think wins then?" James asks with a smirk.

"I suppose Moony wins. He still had the better time."

"But Padfoot got two girls in less than double his time." James counters.

"We should take a vote tomorrow." Lily suggests and James grins.

"Sounds good."

Lily and James stay cozied up together in their booth until night falls.

"Let's head back." James suggests standing up and holding his hand out to her.

"Where did Wormy run off to?" Lily asks searching the pub for their friend.

"Must have slipped out with Sheng." James says with a shrug. "He knows the way back."

Lily nods and smiles as he wraps his arm around her waist and hugs her close as they leave the pub and head back to the castle.

* * *

**A/N – I know it started off sad, but I hope it cheered you right back up there at the end.**

**Again, I can't tell you how sorry I am for being a flake. :(**

**But, let me know what you think anyway!**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N – **** Just a quick note:**

**I'm not going to go into who actually won the bet from the previous chapter, but I since you all seemed interested, it was Remus. The vote went as follows:  
****Sirius: Sirius (obviously)  
****Remus: Remus (obviously)  
****James: Sirius  
Lily: Remus  
Peter: Remus (He believes he'll have a better shot at Diana Bloomsburry against Remus cause of the whole werewolf thing.)  
Sorry to disappoint those of you who wanted Sirius to win, I personally believe he should have. But, as Lily said, Remus did technically get the better time, and that was what the bet was about.**

**Now on to Chapter 32! :-)**

* * *

The day of the Quidditch final arrives and James can't stop himself from pacing back and forth in the captain's office. This is his last ever Quidditch game at Hogwarts. The last time he will get into his uniform. The last time he will hear his name announced and hear the crowd cheer and roar with glee.

Gryffindor has never lost the cup since he joined the team, never even lost a match. He doesn't want to be arrogant, but he can't help the rush of pure confidence that goes through his body as he steps out of the office to address his team for the last time.

"I don't have a lot to say. I know that you all feel the pressure of this game. This is Beth's and mine last game here at Hogwarts. There are a lot of scouts out in the stands waiting to watch us play. We're undefeated for the sixth year running. But, none of that matters right now. The cup is ours, and we already know that. All we need to do is win this game. We are far more superb than Slytherin, and we always have been. We are going to show them what winners look like! Now let's get out there and win that cup!" He roars and the team cheers loudly and file out of the room, James last with Beth right in front of him.

"And here are the defending Cup holders: GRYFFINDOR, led by Captain James Potter!" Natalie Edgecombe announces.

James flies out onto the field as his name along with the rest of his team is announced. He flies past Lily and Mary in the stands with the Marauders. He winks at her. She blows him a quick kiss and he grins before landing in the middle of the field to meet the Slytherin team.

"Captains, shake hands!"

James steps forward and shakes Regulus' hand. James knows he is a good Seeker, but it doesn't look like he is the best captain. Instead of holding try-outs at the beginning of the year, Regulus just recruited his friends to the team. Slytherin would have to beat Gryffindor today by at least seven hundred and sixty points to even come in third place for the cup. To win they would need over a thousand. Whereas Gryffindor just needs to score three goals to edge out Ravenclaw. Thirty points are all they need to win the cup this year. The cup has never come so easily to James. Three goals is nothing. He could score them in his sleep.

Much to James and everyone else in the crowd's amazement, James only gets to score one goal before the game is over.

"I can't believe it! It has to be some kind of record!" Natalie Edgecombe announces. "Beth Robins has caught the Snitch! I can't believe it! The match only lasted seven minutes!" She says, completely dumbfounded.

James roars his excitement and collides with Beth midair, the rest of the team piling on as they slowly descend to the ground where the Gryffindor supporters spill onto the field. Dumbledore beams as he congratulates them once again and hands James the cup. He offers a handle to Beth and they hoist it into the air triumphantly.

James sees Lily running towards him and he steps away from the crowd. He hoists her up and spins her around, happiness flowing through his veins. "Congratulations James, undefeated. Don't go getting a big head." She whispers in his ear. He chuckles into her hair and pulls back to kiss her passionately.

"Party, Gryffindor common room, RIGHT NOW!" Sirius yells.

The party continues on well into the night and James sits contentedly by the fire with his friends, listening to Beth debate her future. McGonagall pulled her away from the party for a few hours to talk to some scouts. Three teams apparently want her to sign with them when she leaves school: The Holyhead Harpies, the Chudley Cannons, and the Wimbourne Wasps.

"You have to play for the Harpies! It's been your dream for years." Lily reminds her.

"I know!" She gushes and continues on talking about how excited she is and how she can't wait to tell Barry.

McGonagall had told James that the scouts wanted to speak to him as well, but he told her that he didn't need to speak to them. He already knows what his plans are after Hogwarts, and they don't include Professional Quidditch.

* * *

N.E.W.T.'s are upon them and all Lily's free time is spent studying. All she and her friends do nowadays is sit around a table in the common room, or in the library, noses in books or quizzing each other. Time seems to fly around them, everything passing in a complete blur. She can hardly remember getting through the first week of exams, but she is glad it is over.

Lily sits in the common room waiting for James. He had told her to wait there while he ran up to get the cloak. They're going to sneak into Hogsmeade, if James would just hurry up. He has been up there for nearly ten minutes. _Maybe he can't find it._ She thinks. _I better go help him._

She rolls her eyes as she climbs the boy's staircase. She pauses as she reaches the landing outside their dorm. She can hear them arguing inside.

"It's none of your business Prongs, so just shut it!" Remus says.

"It's my business when my name gets dragged into it." James retorts.

"Neither of you know what you are talking about anyway, so you both shut it." Sirius says angrily.

"Oh and you think you do?" Peter asks sarcastically.

Hearing all four boys arguing makes her nervous. She can't remember it ever happening before. At least one of them always acts as a mediator of sorts, makes sure things don't get out of hand. _What if they resort to using wands?_ Lily can't let them do that, she has to go in there and make sure that it doesn't come to that. She opens the door tentatively.

"Guys?"

"What?" They all snap as they turn to look at her. She edges into the room and shuts the door behind her.

James seems to regain his head. "Sorry Lily, I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Sure, you'll apologize to her but you won't apologize to me!" Peter says bitterly.

"Why should I apologize to you?" James asks exasperatedly.

"You all need to apologize to me!" Peter complains.

This causes an uproar, each of them talking over the other. Lily slowly makes her way to James' trunk and sits down, watching and trying to decipher the convoluted shouting.

From what she can make out, Sirius was supposed to have a date tonight but the girl ditched him to go out with Remus. Then Peter got angry because he had asked the same girl out the week before. Lily can't see how James fits into this but all the yelling is giving her a headache.

"Stop!" Remus shouts and everyone looks at him. "We have an outside opinion here. Lily can decide this for us right now."

"No, we don't need Lily to decide this. I already know I'm right." Sirius says crossing his arms over his chest.

"You' not right. I'm the one you own an apology to." Remus says.

"I think that's stretching it a bit, mate." James adds.

"You would think that." Peter retorts.

"What did I ever do to you?" James asks.

"It's what you didn't do!" He says sounding frustrated. James is about to retort but Lily forestalls him.

"Everyone stop!" She says and they all look at her again. "Now, I want only one of you to talk at a time, Padfoot you go first, and no one interrupt him." She says calmly. Sirius looks around at them and then back to Lily.

"Well, I asked out that new barmaid in the Three Broomsticks and she accepted. We were supposed to meet up tonight, but then I get an owl at dinner saying that she forgot she already had other plans." He pauses to glare at Remus. "I didn't know that those plans happened to be Moony over here, until I got up here and he looks all cleaned up and had the cloak." He says.

"Alright." Lily says. "Moony, you're next." She tells him.

"Well, I didn't know that Padfoot asked her out, or Wormtail for that matter, but I asked her two nights ago when Prongs and I were in the village. Remember Prongs?" Remus says nodding to his friends. James looks sheepish for a second and then nods to say he remembers, determinedly not meeting Lily's eyes. Lily knows why he looks so guilty. He hadn't told her he had snuck into Hogsmeade with Remus.

"Alright," She begins raising her eyebrows at her boyfriend. "Wormtail you next."

"I asked her out three weeks ago, last Hogsmeade visit. She said she doesn't date wizards who are still in school. I sulked over her for days and then these two gits go chasing after her, even though they know that I liked her." Lily almost rolls her eyes. She should have known that this would be Peter's argument.

"Alright, James, explain." She says turning to look at him, not understanding at all how he fits into this.

"I just came up here to get the cloak and saw these three arguing. I stepped in and tried to get them to calm down and it seemed to work for a while. Then I asked Moony to hand over the cloak so that we could go on our date, but when he said he still needs it for his date, that sent these two off again, pissed that he still planned on going. Then I got pissed because I just to go into Hogsmeade with you, but Remus already had a claim on the cloak for tonight." James sums up for her.

Lily just smiles as she shakes her head. "Boys." She says and stands up. "Honestly, how can you four argue over something so stupid?" They all look around at each other a little ashamed.

"James, our date tonight is ruined now anyway so don't worry about not being able to get the cloak." She says a little too harsh and she sees his angry look but she turns to Peter and ignores it.

"Wormy, I know it sounds like they both betrayed you but you have to stop taking things so personally. I'm sure neither of them meant to hurt you by asking her out. Besides, you can take comfort in the fact that neither of them is dating her now anyway." She says and gives him a small smile but Peter isn't looking at her, he's staring at his shoes looking annoyed. She turns to Sirius.

"Well, I think you already know that you're being stupid, but I'm going to say it anyway. Get over yourself. One girl doesn't go completely bonkers for you, so what? She found something she liked better, get over it." She says.

After thirty seconds of complete silence, Sirius bursts out laughing. "Evans, I swear to Merlin if any other person in the world spoke to me that way –" He breaks off shaking his head and smiles at her. "You're just lucky Prongs fell in love with you." Lily sticks her tongue out at him and turns away to speak to Remus.

"I'm disappointed in you." Remus opens his mouth to protest but Lily continues on. "I know you didn't know that Sirius asked her out or that Peter liked her, I don't care about any of that. I'm disappointed that you'd go for someone like this barmaid." She says and all four boys look at her amazed. "Even if you couldn't see what type of person she is in the bar, when you heard that she had already hurt two of your best friends, you should have decided not to bother with her. But you were still going to go?" She says it as if it's almost a question, as if she can't believe his bad judgment.

"I'm sorry, Lily." Remus mumbles, looking at his feet.

"Don't say sorry to me, say sorry to them." She says gesturing to his friends.

"Sorry Wormy." Remus begins. "I honestly didn't know you asked her out."

Peter nods. "It's alright, Moony. I'm sorry too. I get too worked up about this stuff sometimes." He admits.

"Padfoot, mate." Remus says walking over to his friend. "Sorry. I just really wanted to blow off some steam tonight. Have a good time. I didn't really think about anything else."

"No apology necessary, Moony." He says slapping his friend on the back. "Like Lily said, I was more upset that she ditched me last minute. It wasn't ever about you."

Remus nods and turns to James. "Sorry I ruined your date, mate."

"Don't worry about it, Moony." James says, smiling.

"Sorry too, about letting it slip that we snuck out the other night." He says looking down at the ground missing the look James shoots at him. As if he is angry at Remus for bring it up again, like Lily would forget if they didn't mention it again.

"So, everyone back to normal now?" Lily asks. All the boys nod and Lily turns to James. "James can I have a word with you in the common room." She asks. Now it's her turn to be angry. _He lied to me._

James sighs and she hears him following her down the stairs. She comes to a stop in the empty common room and turns to face him. "So, when you said that you were ill and wanted to sleep it off, you really meant that you wanted to sneak out with Remus and get drunk in the middle of the week?" She clarifies.

She can't believe that he would do something so stupid. They never sneak out on week nights anymore, unless it's a full moon, especially not during exams.

"Kind of." He admits.

"Kind of?"

"It's a long story, but I had some things I needed to take care of and Remus wanted to get out and clear his head a bit, so he went with me." James explains.

"What did you have to take care of?" She asks him, confusion mixing with her anger.

"Well, like I said it is a long story, but trust me, it's nothing bad. I promise." He tells her and she looks at him skeptically.

"Then why did you lie to me?"

"Because I didn't want you finding out." He says with a shrug.

"You're saying that it's ok that you lied to me about it because you didn't want me to find out?"

"I'm not saying it is ok, I'm just saying that I had my reasons and they were worth it." He looks down at her and she can see the sincerity in his eyes. "I promise Lily, it was nothing bad or that could get me into trouble."

She can't help but trust him. She knows that she should be angry at him for lying to her, mad that he still won't tell her the truth now. But she can't. She knows that if it was something really important, something she needed to know, he'd tell her.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Lily." He says again and he takes a step closer to her. "I know you're probably pissed at me right now and I understand why. But, I'm hoping that you can forgive me long enough that we can go on our date." He says pulling the cloak out.

Lily looks at it and then up into his face to make sure he's serious. He is. He really wants to sneak out after all that has just happened. "Not tonight, James." Lily says shaking her head at him.

"Yeah I figured, but it was worth a try." He says giving her his uniquely James grin. She smiles at him.

"How do you do that?" She asks and he flashes a smirk at her.

"Do what?"

"Make me go from being so angry at you to remembering exactly why I fell in love with you in the first place in less than five minutes."

James smiles again. "Not sure, but I'm glad it is a power I possess." He says and steps closer to her again wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Me too." She admits and rests her head onto his chest. "Just, don't lie to me again. If you have something important to do and you can't tell me what it is, then just say that." She feels him press his lips into her hair.

"I can do that."

"Good. Now, let's go to bed. Breaking up a Marauder fight is exhausting." She says and pulls back to see him smiling.

"Really?" He asks looking as if she had told him Christmas is coming early this year.

"Come on, Prongs." She says with a smile.

She hears him chuckle at the nickname as they climb the stairs back up to the boy's dormitory. "I'll show you my prong."

Lily laughs at his pun before opening the dormitory door to see the other three boys still bustling around chatting. She doesn't feel like talking to any of them, so she just walks over to James' bed and closes the curtains around herself. Lily hears James rummaging around in his trunk and someone approaches him.

"I'm really sorry, Prongs." Remus says in a low whisper, obviously hoping Lily won't hear, but she can.

"Don't worry about it, Moony. It's over now." James says in the same low whisper.

"I didn't mean to say it, it just slipped out." He says sounding sad.

"Yeah, I know." James says and Lily hears his trunk slam shut.

"Did she figure it out?" Remus asks.

"No. I just told her I couldn't tell her what I was doing."

"Well that's good at least she doesn't know." Remus says sounding hopeful.

She doesn't hear James respond and a few seconds later he appears from around the curtain and hands her the night dress she keeps in his dormitory just for such occasions. He's about to say something to her but is cut off.

"Hey Prongs." Sirius calls. James looks annoyed as he pokes his head back out of the curtain. "Moony, Wormy and I are taking the cloak and sneaking into Hogsmeade since it looks like you and Lily are in for the night." He says.

James tells them to have fun and then he closes the curtains again. She hears the dormitory door close behind their friends before James speaks. "Sorry about tonight." He says pulling off his robes. "I'm betting you're pissed that we wasted a whole night of studying for nothing." He says getting under the covers and looking up at her, an apology in his eyes.

Lily doesn't speak. She just undoes her robes as well letting them fall to the ground. He smiles over at her, and she smiles back. She doesn't bother pulling on her night dress as climbs under the covers next to him.

"I think we can salvage the night." She whispers in his ear.

He smiles as he wraps his arms around her pulling her closer to him. "I love you, Lily."

A long while later Lily lay in James' arms, listening to steady beat of his heart.

"I'm going to miss this." Lily admits. James moves his hand up to stroke her hair.

"Miss what?" He asks slight concern in his voice.

"Being able to have these nights together like this." She tells him. "When we leave, nothing will be the same anymore." She hears his heart start to beat a little faster and she lifts her head up to see his face. He looks worried.

"We'll still have nights like this." He says soothingly.

"How?" She asks and she watches his face. He seems to be thinking over this last question more than is really necessary. Lily can't take his silence any longer.

"Remember how you said, back before Easter, that things wouldn't be that different for you when we leave school because you would still see me every day?" She asks and he again looks like his thinking hard. Finally he nods. "Well, what did you mean by that?" Lily asks, trying to hide how eager she is to know the answer.

She looks down at his chest and starts tracing small circles on it with her fingertips. She hears him mumble something and she looks up to see his face. "I didn't catch that." Lily tells him but he is looking out the window now.

"Do you think it's going to rain?" He asks. Lily's astonished by the turn in conversation. _What?_ She doesn't respond and he smiles. "I can see Rosmerta's owl heading this way. She's probably requesting that I come fetch the others. I don't want to get soaked if I leave my cloak here." He explains.

Lily looks out the window too and can see the owl approaching. She understands why this distracted him, but she's still upset that he didn't answer her question. "Take your cloak just in case." She advises him.

"Good idea." He says and then groans. "I don't want to get up. I'm so comfortable." He complains.

"That's exactly why I'm not offering to come with you." She chuckles. He laughs as well as the owl taps on the window. James groans and finally gets up out of the bed pulling on his bath robe.

"Yep, says that Peter and Sirius passed out under the bar and Remus won't stop singing." He laughs and turns the note over to write back. Lily watches the owl fly back out of the window and sighs. _So much for talking about the future._

"Be careful." She tells him as she watches him get dressed.

"You know me, love. I'm always careful." He says giving her another of his heart melting grins.

"Yes, well, just come back to me in one piece and detentionless." She commands him, smiling slightly at the old joke.

"Always, love, always." He says and bends down to kiss her forehead and closes the curtain around her.

-J-3-L-

Lily is roused the next morning by Sirius' groan. "Prongs, where is my wand." He shouts.

Lily feels James stir next to her. He had gotten back into bed last night without waking her and now has his arm wrapped around her. She hadn't even noticed. She hears him groan into his pillow and she turns around to face him.

"Morning." She says and he smiles without opening his eyes.

"Morning, love." He says.

"Prongs!" Sirius shouts again.

"You have a night dress on, right?" James asks and Lily looks at him puzzled.

"Yes, I put it on after you left last night, why?" She asks and then a second later the curtains fly back from around their bed. Lily understands now. He was making sure she is dressed because he anticipated Sirius doing this. She smiles as he opens his eyes.

"You know your friends too well." She tells him.

"Where's my wand, I want to get rid of this bleeding headache!" Sirius says angrily.

"It's in my trunk, Moony's and Wormy's are in there as well." James tells him not turning to look at his friend but wrapping his arm tighter around Lily. Sirius disappears then and she hears him cast the hangover cure on himself.

"What time is it?" James asks Lily. She looks at his wrist.

"Nearly nine." She tells him and he groans.

"I wish we could stay in bed all day." He says and Lily smiles.

"Me too. But if we do that then we won't get any studying done today and that could cause us to fail our N.E.W.T.'s. And if we fail N.E.W.T.'s then we might end up back here next year. Which might actually be a good thing, because at least we'll have a plan then." She says off handedly but James doesn't smile. He just looks at her with another of those thoughtful expressions and then sits up suddenly.

"Come on, we better go get breakfast." He says and then gets up out of the bed before Lily can even figure out what happened.

-J-3-L-

"What's wrong with James?" Mary asks Lily, watching James rush through common room to the portrait hole. Lily thinks about this for a second. _What is wrong with him?_

"No idea. He's been acting this way for weeks." Lily tells her. "He's normal enough most of the time, but when we are alone, he is strange. As soon as I mention something remotely related to leaving school he changes the subject to Quidditch or the weather or something stupid." Lily says taking a second to breathe because she had said all this very quickly. Mary looks at her shocked by her outpouring.

"Lily, I just meant what was wrong with him because his arm was bleeding when he left just now." She says gesturing to the portrait hole. Lily turns an extreme shade of red at this and then immediately feels concern for the man she loves.

"How bad was he bleeding?" She asks, wondering why he hadn't said anything.

"Not too bad I don't think, he had a towel pressed to it, didn't you notice?" She hadn't. She had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"I should go see if he's alright." She says and makes to stand but Mary stops her.

"No way, he'll be fine. You sit here and tell me what's going on." She insists.

Lily looks down at her hands, ashamed of her outburst. _We can't talk here. _Lily thinks as she looks around and sees the common room full of people. _Someone could overhear_. It amazes her that no one had overheard her the first time.

"Let's see if James is ok, and then we can go talk somewhere else." Lily says and Mary agrees and they leave the common room together.

"Think he went to the Hospital Wing?" Mary asks.

"Well, if it's not that bad of a cut then I doubt it. He's most likely in the Prefect's Bathroom." Lily says as they walk.

"Why there?" Mary asks confused.

"He keeps a salve in there for cuts that he can't heal himself. You know, ones he can't reach with his wand." Lily explains and represses her sigh. James hadn't needed to use this method to heal himself since before they had started dating. She always tends to his wounds now, no matter if he can reach them or not, he always lets her heal him. The fact that he didn't come to her to fix his bleeding arm only makes her more sure that he's drifting away from her.

"Salt Water." Lily says and the door opens. She steps in and sees James rubbing the salve on his wounded arm in the long mirror.

"Wow this place is amazing!" Mary says, following Lily in. She had forgotten that Mary, not being a prefect or Quidditch Captain, would have never been in to see the magnificent bathroom. James starts and turns to look at them guiltily.

"Hi, love." He says and tries to hide the salve behind his back.

"Hi, are you alright?"

"Yes, I just accidentally tripped and fell onto my trunk, cut my arm." He says and turns quickly to hide his face from her. She knows he's lying. But since he had just promised her last night that he wouldn't lie to her anymore she figures that he was doing something that has to do with his Animagus form and he can't tell her so with Mary present.

"Do you need any help?" She asks him concerned.

"No I can handle it. I didn't want to interrupt your study time. You said you and Mary would be in the library all day." He says almost accusatory.

"We decided to study in the common room instead." Mary explains from behind Lily.

"Ah, well, don't let me keep you. I'm just going to finish this up and then go find Peter. He needs a little help with some defense stuff." He says, still not meeting Lily's eyes. She can tell that part isn't a lie, but she finds his behavior suspicious still.

"Alright, well… see you later then?" She asks him, unsure if he wants to see her later.

"Of course," he says, his features softening as he walks over to her. "I will see you at dinner. Then maybe we can go for a walk around the lake or something." He suggests, pulling her into him with his good arm. He leans down and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Her heart lightens at this.

"Yeah, that sounds good." She tells him before turning to leave the bathroom with Mary.

"Come on. Let's go outside, we can find somewhere to talk out there." Mary says as soon as the door shuts behind them.

Once she is sure they are alone Mary turns to her. "Ok, so, what's going on?"

Lily can't think where to begin. "I'm not sure when it started. But, for the last few weeks every time we're alone he seems to be…" She ponders for a moment what the right word to use is. "Guarded."

"Guarded… what do you mean by that?" Mary asks interestedly.

"Well, it's like he's watching every word he says, choosing his words extremely carefully." She remembers how he used to babble on foolishly until she would shut him up with her fingers or, now, her lips. "It's like he's hiding something from me. We used to talk about everything, but now it's like he has to be cautious, like he's afraid that he'll let something slip." She says and looks at Mary. "Does that make sense?"

"I guess, but I haven't seen him like that. You two look normal to me, just as sickeningly in love." Mary says with a chuckle.

"I know. It's the strangest thing. I remember before Easter break we were chatting about what we're going to do when we leave school, how things were going to be different. But he told me that things wouldn't be that different for him, because he knew he'd still see me every day anyway."

"Awe." Mary says.

But Lily continues on before she can think that James is too sweet. "But he hadn't explained himself. So last night I had asked him about it, and he mumbled something inaudible and then asked me if I thought it was going to rain." Lily says and looks at Mary and sees her perplexed face.

"I can't believe it." Mary says.

"I know. He's usually so romantic with that stuff. I thought he would tell me how he plans on apparating over to see me every morning or even that he wants us to get a flat together or something." Lily says not looking at her friend but down at her hands.

"Has he brought it up since?" Mary asks and Lily can hear something in her voice, but it doesn't make sense. _Is she excited?_ She looks up into Mary's face, but sees her looking passive, almost bored.

"No, I tried to coax something out of him this morning, but he just changed the subject."

Lily doesn't get it. Everything else in their relationship is great. Their conversations, when they aren't about the future, are just as interesting as they had been when they first became friends. James still tells her loves her at least twice a day. They are just as intimate, if not more so, than they had been when they first started dating. It doesn't make sense for him to be acting this way now. Not when just a few short months ago they were talking about moving forward with their future together, with the Order and with fighting the shared cause against Voldemort.

"Maybe he's scared of commitment." Mary suggests, but Lily can tell by her tone that she doesn't believe it.

"That's the only thing I can think of as well. Or maybe he just doesn't want a future with me." Lily says sadly. Mary puts her arm around Lily in a comforting way, and Lily leans into her best girlfriend, afraid, for the first time in her life, of losing love.

"Don't worry Lily men always act strange when a big change in their life is coming. My mum always tells stories about my dad when he became middle-aged. Says he went bonkers. I'm sure that with the stress of exams and everything, the constant pressure of the future might just be weighing hard on him right now." Mary says.

Lily smiles, sure that her friend is right. She isn't losing James, he's just stressed out. He loves her, just as she loves him. He's just overwhelmed by the prospect of their lives changing so much. "Thanks Mary."

James will snap out of this. Lily's just being over sensitive anyway. After exams are over, if she still feels this way, she'll talk to him. But for now, she'll let him work through his issues alone.

* * *

James is sitting with his back to the portrait hole studying his Potions notes when someone hits him hard on the back of the head. "Oi! Mary, what was that for?"

"You know what! I can't believe you didn't tell me!" She says hands on hips.

"Tell you what?" He asks, still annoyed.

Mary looks over to Peter to make sure he isn't paying attention and she lifts up her left hand and wiggles her ring finger at him. James jumps up at once and pulls her back out of the portrait hole and into the hall. Once the door shuts behind them he looks at her.

"How did you find out? Did Sirius tell you?" He asks angrily.

"You are, aren't you? You're going to propose to Lily!" She asks almost bouncing up and down with enthusiasm.

"Yes." He confirms and Mary squeals excitedly.

"Shh!" James shushes her. "Keep it quiet, I don't want the whole castle knowing before I can actually ask her. That means you." He says turning and pointing at the Fat Lady.

"I already promised I wouldn't say anything, not even to Violet. Oh, she's going to be so angry that I knew before anyone else and I didn't say anything." She giggles. James looks away from her, back to Mary, who looks annoyed now.

"The Fat Lady knew before I did! I'm Lily's best friend and I've known you longest out everyone." She protests and swats at his arm.

"Stop hitting me!" He commands. "I didn't mean for her to know, she overheard us one day. The only other people that know are The Marauders, and Lily's and my parents." He says shrugging.

"Well, I should have known anyway. I could have helped." She tells him, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest.

"With what? I've had everything planned for months. I just needed the right time."

"You've had this planned for months and haven't done it yet?" Mary asks half shocked, half angry.

"No, I told you it had to be the right time."

"Well when is the right time?"

James knows she won't be satisfied until she knows his entire plan, every detail. But he won't give it to her. He won't give it to anyone. Not even Sirius knows what he's planning, just when.

"Saturday." James tells her. "I'm asking her on Saturday, after exams are done and she has nothing else to worry about." He says smiling. _This plan is working out perfectly._ He thinks smugly. _No one even has a clue._

_Except, Mary noticed something, she figured it out._ "But you didn't answer me. How did you find out?" He asks, hoping she says that Sirius told her.

"When Lily and I were studying today and she made some offhand comment about you acting strange. So I talked it out with her. She told me about how you refuse to talk about the future with her. That's when I figured it out, but she thinks you are scared of commitment or that you just don't want a future with her." Mary says. James' heart drops into his stomach.

"She really thinks that?" James asks feeling like these words could shatter his heart.

"Yes. I played along, because I didn't know what else to do. But, she seems really down about it." Mary tells him.

James had decided to wait to ask her for several reasons. For one he didn't want to ask her so quickly after his father passed away. He didn't want her thinking that this is some spur of the moment, grief-stricken whim for him. He wants her to know that he truly wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He also knows that his mother will be absolutely unbearable when it comes to planning the wedding, and he doesn't want all that added stress on her shoulders in the last few months of school. She already has to worry about fighting in a war when they leave. It seems like his plan backfired though. He knows he had been trying to keep her mind off the future, but he hadn't realized he had been so obvious about it.

"I didn't want to be stupid and just blurt it out. I want it to be special, to be romantic." He says thinking of how he had told her he loved her for the first time and wanting his proposal to be the exact opposite of that.

"Well, I get that, but try to make it less obvious. When she starts talking about the future just bring up someone else's plans. That way you are talking about the future, just not about yours." Mary suggests.

"You think that'll work?" He asks doubtfully. Lily will probably see right through this ruse, just like his plan to distract her. _How stupid of me to think she wouldn't notice._

"It can't hurt anything." Mary shrugs.

"Alright, thanks Mary. And remember, not a word to anyone, not even Beth." He says and she mimics zipping her mouth shut.

James and Peter arrive late to dinner that night and he spots Lily at once sitting between Sirius and Beth. He walks up behind Sirius and nudges him so that his friend will scoot down. Sirius rolls his eyes but obliges and James sits down next to Lily. She looks over at him curiously and as an answer he leans in and kisses her deeply.

He breaks the kiss and whispers in her ear. "I love you, more than anything." She smiles back at him and takes up his hand in hers. He knows this does little to make up for the worry he's been putting her through, but he hopes that it'll hold her off for a while. If he can just make it to Saturday, then all will be well.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, I would reprimand you for your display of affection at the dinner table, but I know it will do no good." James smiles up at Professor McGonagall behind him.

"I always knew you were the smartest professor in the castle." He tells her. McGonagall smiles before continuing on her way up to the head table.

Lily rests her head on his shoulder, and he eats his supper one-handed, unwilling to let Lily's drop from his own even if it means looking silly while trying to cut his steak. The others finish and head back up to the common room to continue studying leaving James, Lily and Sirius at the table.

"What are we studying tonight, Prongs? Charms or Potions." Sirius asks. James smiles at his friend.

"I'll be studying my favorite subject tonight."

"We already did the Transfiguration exam." Sirius says looking puzzled.

"No Padfoot, my favorite subject." He says and holds up his and Lily's intertwined hands. Sirius nods and gets up to follow the others, understanding that his friend will be completely preoccupied tonight. Lily looks up at him.

"So, what would you like to do tonight? We should make it worth our time since we are skiving off studying for the second night in a row." She tells him. He stands and leads her out onto the grounds.

"A nice walk around the lake will be worth our time I think." He says wrapping his arm around her waist. If he can keep her good and distracted tonight then exams will occupy her time for the rest of the week. _Six days._ He reminds himself. _You can keep it up for six days._

_-_L-3-J-

Six days seem to take six months. On the third night as they patrol the deserted castle hands intertwined, he can't help but be excited. _Three more days. _Lily stops dead in the corridor for a moment and he stops too, looking down at her anxiously.

"Lily? What's wrong?"

"I just realized something." She says looking up at him, just as excited as he felt moments ago.

_Oh no! How did she figure it out? Well, if Mary did, then Lily surely would. She knows me better than I do most of the time._ He's inwardly cursing himself that she isn't going to get the romantic proposal she deserves.

"What did you realize?" He asks, already knowing what she'll say.

"On the Arithmancy exam I thought I cocked up some of my figures, but it just figured it out and I was right." She says excitedly.

Instant relief floods through James. _She doesn't know. Not yet. How many times am I going to think she found out before I can actually ask her?_ He wonders dimly. "That's wonderful!" He says, only half registering his own words. _Only three more days_

-L-3-J-

_Only one more day._ James reminds himself when he wakes the last day of exams. _We just need to get through Charms and the party tonight and everything will be fine. I'll have Lily alone all day tomorrow and then I'll finally ask her to be my wife._ He jumps out of bed excitedly. He can't help it. He is too excited to sit around waiting for his alarm to buzz.

"Ugh, Prongs." Peter groans as James gets himself ready for the day, whistling loudly.

"How can you be so chipper?" Sirius asks, still hidden behind his curtains.

"One more day, Padfoot. One more day."

"One more day of hearing you count down the days." Remus says grumpily, opening his curtains to start getting ready as well. James smiles widely.

"One more day." He responds as he leaves his friends to get ready and heads down to the common room to wait for Lily so he can walk her to breakfast.

"You look excited." Beth says as she, Mary and Lily appear after about ten minutes of James waiting.

"I am." He says smiling. Mary smiles excitedly as well but Lily looks confused.

"Exams aren't over yet." She reminds him.

"One more day." He says unable to stop the laugh that erupts from him. Lily looks at him as if he's cracked.

"James Charles Potter, I've never seen you this excited for end of exams." She says with her hands on her hips.

_How can she be angry one such a glorious morning? One more day! _ His mind shouts.

"You're planning something aren't you?" She accuses. James' smile falters for a moment wondering, as he had so many times in the last few months, if she finally figured it out.

"No." He says too innocently.

"Well, I bet it'll be a good party in any case." Lily says letting her suspicion fall. _She thinks I'm planning a party tonight, that's what she means. Well, at least she's right; we did plan a good party for tonight._

"Let's get some breakfast." James says eagerly, he can't wait for this day to be over so it would be Saturday.

They sit at the breakfast table, Lily quietly revising her Charms notes as she pokes at her eggs. James wants to ask her what's on her mind, but he sure it's just nerves over the exam. Then it hits him like a wrecking ball. Nerves. He had been so excited to finally ask her to marry him that he had forgotten to be nervous. Now that it is so close, it's impossible to feel anything but.

_What if something goes wrong and my plans fall through? _The thought makes his stomach turn and he feels his palms get sweaty. _What if I cock it up? What if she says no? _ This thought makes him feel nauseous. _What if she doesn't want to be my wife? How arrogant am I to assume that she will be just as eager to marry me as I am her? What if she wants to be independent after school? What if she wants to live on her own and be free for a while?_ _How did I never consider this? _ He sets his fork down by his plate, no longer hungry for his eggs. He swallows hard. _This may be the longest day of my life._ He realizes.

* * *

N.E.W.T.'s are over. When the tweedy looking man tells them to drop their quills Lily cheers along with her fellow seventh years.

_It's over._ She thinks relieved. Then relief is replaced with sadness. _It's over._ She thinks again. _My time here is nearly done._

Just one more week of sitting through their professors explaining how different the real world is, telling them how proud they are and saying tearful goodbyes to their nice comfortable lessons. One more week in this place and then they graduate. _Eight days and we will leave Hogwarts forever._

Leaving Hogwarts frightens her more than anything. Not only was it the end of some of the happiest times in her life, it also means the unknown. Here at Hogwarts she's comfortable in her routine. She knows who she is, where she belongs, who she dislikes and who she can count as allies. She knows where she's supposed to be and when. Here James is always by her side.

She knows it can't be that way when they leave. She'll have to go back and live with her parents, at first anyway. She assumes he'll be going to live with Sirius in his flat. They had always planned on that hadn't they? Beth is living with Barry and is joining the Harpies. Mary already has plans to travel to Africa. It's all she talks about. It's sad to think that she won't see her two best girlfriends every day anymore. Sad that the only communication she'll have with them will be through owls. She'll miss them dearly.

Peter says he isn't sure what he plans to do yet, he needs to discuss it with his mother and Sirius and Remus are joining the Order with her and James, so she expects she will see them often enough. Still, not seeing them daily will be such a change. But the hardest part will be not being with James anytime she wishes. Here at Hogwarts she rarely goes a half a day without at least seeing him. The only time they don't is when they specifically designate the time to spend apart. Even that is tough for her. She misses him and by the time they are together again, they often forget that they are usually still around other people. To think that they may very well go several days without seeing one another is agony.

Lily has been hoping for a long time now that he would ask her to get a flat with him. He had mentioned several months ago that he wasn't worried about the future because he knows that he'll never go a day without seeing her. But how will that work if she's living with her parents and he's living with Sirius? Sure they'll be working at the Order together, but there is no guarantee that they will be on every assignment together.

Besides, her parents are sure to put down some new ground rules for her when she moves back home. She may even have to get a job. Dumbledore had never mentioned if working for the Order pays. She'll need money if she ever hopes to get out of her parents' house. So with her having to get a job and having a surely strict curfew in her parents' house, how does James plan to see her every day? He could apparate in to say hi, if only briefly, but that just doesn't seem practical. It would be sweet, but she knows her parents would hate it.

This future she's laying out for herself in her mind's eye looks bleak. She needs a distraction. Standing up she turns to look for her friends but finds James already at her side pulling her in for a tight hug. "Congratulations." He tells her.

"You too." She says smiling up at him.

Suddenly all her fears about the future evaporate as she looks into his hazel eyes. She'll make him sit down at talk about the future, make him focus, tell him that she needs answers. He may not want to think about it, but she needs to.

"The party starts in an hour." He tells her pulling her closer to him still.

"Common Room?" Lily asks.

"No, actually it's going to be on the grounds. We invited all the seventh years." Lily knows when he says 'all the seventh years' he means all the seventh years except the Slytherins. But this doesn't bother her at all. The fact that no Slytherins would be there could only improve on the atmosphere.

"What do you want to do until then?" She asks him.

"Follow me." He says and intertwines his hand with hers leading her from the Great Hall and up the marble stairs.

"Where are we going?" She asks him. He stops then, in the middle of a deserted corridor.

"This is as good of place as any." He says shrugging.

"For what?" She asks suspiciously. He just wraps his arms around her and kisses her passionately.

"We have an hour to kill." He whispers in her ear. "This is as good a place as any to spend our time." He says and he moves his lips to her neck. Lily smiles at his joke but feels a little let down. She had thought that he was finally going to discuss their future. Her thoughts are quickly distracted as his arms wrap around her tighter and she tangles her hands in his hair.

-J-3-L-

Hours later the party on the grounds is in full swing. After talking to what seems like every seventh year in the school Lily finds herself sitting on a blanket leaning against James' chest. Prim and Albert had just gotten through telling them that they have flat ready and waiting for them to move in to together when they leave. _They have their future all figured out._ She thinks grumpily.

Just then an owl floats down to them then. "Is that Oscar?" James asks confused.

"Yeah, it must be my mum's reply. I sent them their instructions for graduation last night." She explains and he helps her untie her mother's reply from the snowy owls legs. Oscar gives them both affectionate nips before heading up to the Owlery. She reads through her mother's reply quickly and smiles.

"What'd she say?" James asks.

"She says they're excited to see me and that they're really proud."

James leans down and kisses the top of her head. "As they should be."

Lily doesn't tell James about the part of the letter explaining that her room is as she left it and they can't wait for her to be home again. Lily had told her mother last night that she is excited to come back home, but this is a lie. She is actually extremely depressed about it. Being a fully matured witch living in a Muggle home will be very hard on her she expects. It'll be like balancing two different worlds.

She'd thought for so many years that it would be easy. She thought that she could keep the Muggle world and the wizarding world a like and never have to choose. She knows now that she was wrong. Not only because she knows that she can't keep both worlds, but because she was wrong about having to choose. She has already chosen. She wants to stay in the wizarding world. Where she can be herself, where she can defend others like her, where she can be with James.

There's nothing else for it. _I will get a job right away, save as much money as possible and move out the second I can. _ She decides. She'll still visit her parents, of course. They're her family and just because she decided to give up the Muggle world, that doesn't mean she has to give them up as well. She wonders how long it'll take her to save up the money she'll need. _Will James and I drift apart with me living with my parents and essentially working two jobs?_

She wonders if James is as worried about their relationship after Hogwarts as she is. Wonders if he realizes how pressed for time they'll be. Wonders if he understands that she'll barely have time to work for the Order, let alone spend any real time with him. _Does he know that he can't pop in and out of my parent's house like he could a normal wizarding home?_ He knows this, she's sure. _He probably hasn't thought much about the future. He most likely doesn't understand yet._ She lays her head on his shoulder sadly and sighs.

James looks down at her. "What's wrong, love?"

"Just thinking about how different things are going to be now." She says. James kisses her forehead.

"It will be ok, love. Better even." He tells her reassuringly. That confirms for her that he isn't truly thinking about it yet.

"I just keep thinking how hard it'll be going from using magic at will to using it sparingly."

"What do you mean, why would you only need to use it sparingly?" He asks, confused.

"My parents may seem like they are ok with magic James, but I doubt they'll be overly pleased if I continue popping in and out at will." She says leaning forward so she can look up into his face. She sees his sad, pained almost determined face looking back at her. He doesn't say anything, just leans forward and gives her a kiss.

"It won't be that bad, love." He says. She mentally rolls her eyes. _Pick up on a signal you dolt!_

"Yes, I'm sure I'm just over thinking it." She agrees looking back over the lake. "Are you going to move into Sirius' flat when we leave?" She is too chicken to look up into James' face as she asks this, so she misses his torn expression.

"I think I'll live with my mum for a while." He says in an even voice.

She nods, a little shocked. She had been sure he'd say that he's going to be moving in with Sirius. She had hoped that he'd say he wanted to get a flat with her, like Albert and Prim are doing. She doesn't know how to react to him going back to live with his mother. His mother is ill and old and she lives alone in that big house except for Tilly. She can understand why he wants to be there with her, it seems selfish of Lily to want him all to herself.

"That's good. Your mother will like that." She tells him trying to hide her disappointment. If he lived at home and she lived at home, it would be so hard for them to spend nights together.

"I know what you're thinking Lily, but let's talk about it tomorrow. There's a lot to discuss." He says in a flat, detached voice.

She looks up at him. _That doesn't sound good._ But she has to admit, getting into any serious conversation that has the potential to make her cry around all these people is not appealing. He smiles warmly at her and that makes her less anxious.

"Ok." She says and he kisses her forehead as Peter and Remus plop themselves down next to him.

The night passes in enjoyment from then out. They walk into the common room together hours later holding hands.

"I'm going to sleep in my own dormitory tonight." She tells him and he looks up at her surprised. The last Friday night Lily had slept in her own bed had been in November.

"Why?" He asks her looking sad.

"It's just… this is the last week I'll have with them." She says shrugging. James nods apparently understanding.

"Alright, but you are all mine tomorrow, right?" He asks almost panicky.

"Of course."

"Alright, I just want to make sure." He says with a smile and then gives her a quick good night kiss, that if she were accompanying him to his dorm would not have been so quick. "Night, love."

* * *

**A/N – Well, I hope you like it. :-) **

**The next Chapter is the one you've all been waiting for. :-)**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N – It's the one you've all been waiting for! :-)**

* * *

Saturday morning dawns bright and sunny. Lily gets up early to get ready and notices that Mary too is awake.

"Morning." She says looking at Lily excitedly.

"Morning… what are you doing up?" Lily asks suspiciously. Mary isn't a morning person and usually needs to be shaken awake by both Lily and Beth if you want her out of bed before ten on a weekend.

"I promised Beth I'd get up early so that we can go into Hogsmeade together one last time."

Lily feels her heart drop. "I forgot today's a Hogsmeade day." She admits.

Her mind begins to war with itself. She promised James that she's his for the day, but it's their last Hogsmeade trip. _Will Beth and Mary be angry with me for not going with them? James will understand if I go with them. Won't he? He probably forgot too, he probably wants to go with his friends. We can meet up in Hogsmeade and spend the afternoon and the night together._

"It's ok, Lily." Mary says looking at Lily as if she can hear the battle going on in her mind.

"We can talk about it at breakfast. James might not even have plans." Lily says hopefully. Mary shrugs and then turns her back quickly, but not quick enough for Lily to miss her smile.

When they're all ready to go, Lily walks down the girl's staircase with Mary and Beth. She smiles when she sees James waiting for her. She can't quite understand his expression. _Is he nervous? Worried? Could he be scared? _Then she remembers he promised that they would talk about their future today. _This can't be good._

"Morning, love." He says and leans down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning." She replies, unable to squash her own nerves now.

The war in her mind starts again but she decides that she wants to be happy for as long as possible. She has a feeling that what James is going to tell her today will crush every ounce of happiness in her.

_One last trip to Hogsmeade with my friends, then my heart will get ripped out. I hate growing up_

* * *

James walks with Lily and her friends down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He continually runs through his plans in his mind. Everything should be in order. All he needs is the two-way mirror in his pocket and the speeches he memorized. His friends know their part and he trusts them to pull it off.

He hasn't been paying attention to the conversation going on around him, so when Lily nudges him with her elbow he starts. "What? Sorry, I was distracted."

"Where is your head this morning?" Beth asks wonderingly looking at him as if he were crazy. "I asked if it would be ok if Lily came with us into Hogsmeade this morning. I know you claimed her for yourself today, but it's our last Hogsmeade weekend, you know. I think we should get a little time with her." She says fairly.

James hadn't even thought about that. He didn't realize it was their last Hogsmeade weekend and that Lily may want to spend some time with her friends. He looks at Mary anxiously then down at Lily.

"Of course Lily, I didn't even realize. You can spend the day with your friends if you'd like." Mary looks at him panicked and he shakes his head almost imperceptibly at her. He doesn't want her giving up his secret and he knows that Lily will want to spend time with her friends. "We can catch up around lunch time?" He suggests.

Lily smiles up at him and he knows that she's happy with his compromise. But he knows she doesn't realize what a giant compromise this is for him. He has to reroute his entire plan, and most likely leave some stuff out. Thinking over which stops he'll have to forget, James piles food onto his plate. He knows he won't eat it though, he is too nervous.

James keeps glancing at the entrance to the Great Hall as Lily chats with her friends. _Where are they?_ _They know better than to be late today. They have to know how crucial the timing is!_

Finally they arrive and he lets out a sigh of relief as Sirius, Remus and Peter walk up to the table and stand across from James and Lily hands behind their backs. Peter clears his throat and Lily looks up at him confused.

"I present you, Lily, with the Tiger Lily. It's my favorite lily." Peter says and hands her one single flower before walking around the table and taking a seat next to James.

"I present you, Lily, with a Calla Lily. It's my favorite lily." Remus says and he too hands her a single flower then sits next to Beth.

"I present to you, Lily, a Tiger Lily. It is my favorite lily." Sirius tells her handing her a third flower and sitting down next to Mary.

James stands then and hands Lily the two-way mirror. "You could receive a dozen of every type of lily ever grown in the ground, but they would never be as beautiful as my favorite Lily. I present to you, Lily, my favorite Lily. You." He says pointing to the mirror. James knows this display he has just put them all through is extremely cheesy, but it's something he's always wanted to do. Ever since his silly third year brain came up with it.

Both Mary and Beth let out a simultaneous "awe" of admiration. James takes his seat again and Lily wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him deeply. He can see the smile on her face when she finally pulls away.

"That was adorable." Mary tells him.

"I wish my name was cool like that." Beth says, poking at her eggs sulkily.

James misses Remus' response because Lily pulls him down so she can whisper in his ear. "That _was_ adorable. Thank you." She says and he smiles as he entwines his hand with hers.

"You are welcome." He whispers back. "It's just one of the many things I have always wanted to do."

She grins and turns back to her friends. "Sorry guys, I know you wanted one last day for us to go into Hogsmeade together, but I promised James that I'm his for the day." She says and James looks over at her.

"Lily you can go with your friends, really I don't mind." He says but he's beginning to get hopeful again that this day could possibly go off exactly the way he had originally planned it, not leaving out a single stop.

"No James, I want to spend the day with you. I know you must have been looking forward to it." She says waving her hand to the flowers that are now sitting in a vase next to her plate.

"That's fine Lily." Mary says quickly standing up from the table. "Have fun today!" She calls over her shoulder as she drags Beth from the Great Hall.

"Do you think they're mad at me?" Lily asks James as she watches her friends retreating backs.

"Nah, I think they understand." He tells her, knowing that as soon as they are clear of the castle Mary will fill Beth in on exactly why James wants Lily to himself today.

Lily smiles again and turns back to their other friends. "So, what are you three up to today?"

"Well, actually we ran into Professor McGonagall on our way down to breakfast." Sirius says and James looks up at him, confused by his tone. He sounds like he's trying to convey a very important message. "She reminded me that I still owe her about twenty detentions and Moony here owes her a couple as well."

"I'm not surprised. You've probably racked them up throughout the years." Lily says, smirking, but James feels his heart drop. If his friends aren't there to do their part today, then James might not get the spectacularly romantic day he has been planning.

"You too, Wormy? You have a detention today?" He asks.

"Nope, I'm still free today." He says and James feels himself relax a little. _At least I still have Wormtail._ He thinks and exchanges a glance with Sirius. He'll know to hand his two-way mirror to Peter. James just hopes Peter is up to the task, it'll be a lot harder by himself.

"Alright, well we should get going." James says and smiles over at Lily.

"Lead the way." She says and stands. James slips the mirror back into his pocket nonchalantly as he leads her from the hall.

James feels butterflies in his stomach the whole walk into Hogsmeade. He keeps running over the events in his mind. First the train station, then The Three Broomsticks, then Madam Puddifoot's, then Honeydukes, then back to Hogwarts for Phase Two. Hopefully he can finish Phase One by lunchtime.

"Where to first?" Lily asks and he leads her down the path to the train station. "Uh James, I don't think we're really supposed to be here." She says as he walks her over to the Hogwarts Express.

He doesn't answer but continues to walk down to the third carriage and stops in front of the fourth window. He looks down at her willing himself to speak.

"Inside that window is the seat that I was sitting in the very first time I ever saw you." He tells her and she looks up at him, taken aback. "I remember when you opened the door and asked, in the quietest voice I've ever heard, if you could sit with us. Padfoot and I had no idea what to do. We could tell, you see, that you'd been crying. Well, there is nothing worse to an eleven-year-old boy than a crying girl."

She laughs and he gives a nervous chuckle. Now that he has started, he knows he can do this. He has practiced his speeches over and over, knows exactly what to say at each location.

"I'll never forget the pig tails in your hair, the way you curled up next to the window defensively and the extreme stupidity that only youth can bring, for I had thought that you were just another crying girl who couldn't be anything but annoying." He says and smiles at his memories. She too smiles and before she can speak he leads her further down the train.

He stops at the very end. "In this compartment," he begins.

"The Marauder Compartment." Lily corrects.

"Yes, inside the door to The Marauder Compartment is where you slapped me across the face for the first time." He reminds her and she laughs loudly at the memory. "I remember thinking that you truly are something special. Then, inside The Marauder Compartment, is where we had our very first actual conversation. Without name calling or yelling or me asking you out." He says and she laughs. "It was the first time I felt like you actually saw me. I mean really could see me, for me." He says and she looks shameful but he doesn't let her think about it too long because he is already pulling her off to the next location.

They enter The Three Broomsticks and he takes her straight to the table he needs. Rosmerta had come through for him. She winks at him from behind the bar and he nods his thanks. She'll be waiting to hear how this turns out. _Maybe Lily and I will sneak out tomorrow and come for a drink?_ He thinks wistfully. _That is, if Lily says yes._ This thought makes his stomach turn and he almost loses his nerve. But he looks down and sees Lily staring at him expectantly and he knows that he can do this. James pulls his chair around to sit next to her instead of across from her.

"This exact table right here is the first place I ever truly saw you smile. You were up at the bar talking to Rosmerta and I was over here watching you. I remember thinking how very stunning you look when you smile. How your eyes seem to brighten. Then only a few seconds later, still in this very spot, was the first time I ever felt jealous of Snape." James says and then looks over at Lily. "You were here with him remember? It was the first Hogsmeade trip." She looks at him, as if lost for words and he smiles.

"Next table I think." He says and leads her to a much larger table near the back. "This table is the setting for the first time we ever hung out together in Hogsmeade. And I feel like that might have been the first time you were jealous of Dee as well." He says and he watches the pink twinge come into her cheeks.

"No, it wasn't." She says and he feels the heat rise in his cheeks this time.

He's about to apologize for his assumptions when she continues. "The first time I was jealous of Danielle was out on the street actually. I saw her pulling you into Madam Puddifoot's." She tells him and he smiles broadly at this.

"Well, now that I know that, then I believe it's time for our next stop." He tells her standing up and grabbing her hand.

"We aren't going to have a drink?"

"No, we have far too much to do today."

She giggles as he leads her back out onto the street and over to Madam Puddifoot's.

"We never went in here together." She says looking confused.

"No, I know. But standing right here in this spot is where Dee and I had our first, of many mind you, row over you. We argued over how I couldn't stop talking about, or looking at, you." He says and he watches as she smiles again.

"Why were you talking about me?" She asks him.

"Well, she had mentioned that she was glad she dropped Potions, and I brought up that you were sitting at our table. Then I said that you were really good at Potions and we were lucky to have you. Then I foolishly told her that I sat with you in Runes as well, and well... she hated that." He says and laughs. "But I think the thing that set her off was when I told her that I thought you were the prettiest girl in Gryffindor."

"You told her that, on a date?" Lily asks.

"Well, it went more like this. You remember how Mary wanted me to set her up with Dennis? Well, I brought it up to Dee and she said that she thought it was a bad idea, even if Mary is the prettiest girl in Gryffindor. She thought Dennis could do better. Well I responded that Mary isn't even the prettiest girl in Gryffindor and she still was too good for Dennis."

Lily whistles lowly. "You sure know how to stick your foot in it, don't you?"

"I blurt things out unintentionally, you know me. But, she asked who I thought _is_ the prettiest girl in Gryffindor, if not Mary. Finally I caved and told her it is you. But, I lied, because you aren't just the prettiest girl in Gryffindor, Lily. You're the most gorgeous girl in all of Britain." He says and brushes the hair back away from her face as she blushes. She smiles and kisses his palm before he can pull it away.

"Alright, one more stop then back to Hogwarts." He tells her and they walk hand-in-hand to Honeydukes.

James feels his heart sink a little when they enter the shop. Peter wasn't able to reserve the stools that James wanted. He had been expecting this though. The Honeydukes owner doesn't care much for Peter. This task would've been Remus' if he could've been here.

James leads Lily to a small table and reminds her of the night they spent in here, feeding each other different flavors of chocolates. "That was our first time sneaking into Hogsmeade alone together." He says fondly.

"Was it really? It seems like it was only last week." Lily says looking shocked.

"I know. But you know what they say, time flies when you're in love." She smiles at his twist of the familiar saying. "Alright, back to Hogwarts now."

He's surprised that she doesn't complain that she wants to spend more time in Hogsmeade. He hopes that she's having just as much fun on this journey through their time together as he is. "I need to use the loo first though."

He rushes to the back so she doesn't see him and he pulls out the two-way mirror. "Peter Pettigrew." He says into it and Peter's face appears in front of him. "We are on our way back to Hogwarts now. Make sure everything's ready."

"Will do." Peter says and disappears again.

James returns to the front and wraps Lily's arm around his and they walk back to the castle arm-in-arm. They enter the Great Hall just in time for lunch and James looks at his watch. Everything is on schedule. He sits down at their usual spot and is happy to see no one sitting within ear shot of them. Peter had done his job well. While inside the castle Peter's job is to keep people out of their way so that James can be romantic as possible and not have any interruptions. They sit down and before they can eat James takes Lily's hand in his.

"I was sitting on the other side of the table but, this is the spot where you first called me James." He reminds her.

"I remember, I tried to make it sound casual, but I was really nervous." She tells him.

"Why?" He asks. He hadn't expected her to be nervous about that.

"I didn't know how you'd react, if you'd think I was crazy or not."

James smiles. "I didn't think you were crazy. I thought I was. I was debating on whether or not to go see Madam Pomfrey." She chuckles at this. "But if you remember, it was the first time I called you Lily, to your face at least."

"I remember." She says, smiling fondly at the memory.

"This is also the place that I first realized that you may just have feelings for me too."

"Is it really?"

"Yes. We had just got back from Hogsmeade after taking our Apparition tests. I was certain that even if you didn't know it yourself yet, you at least thought of me as more than a friend." He tells her.

"I did, I just felt ridiculously guilty for feeling that way, since I was still with Todd at the time."

James nods, unable to keep the smile from his face. "And right there." He says pointing down the table a little bit. "Is where I asked you to go to Hogsmeade with me for the first time and then the first time you rejected me." He tells her and chuckles. "When you left the hall, I was so shocked. I hadn't thought for a second that you would say no. I was such a little git." He says still laughing at the memory.

"I remember going into the Entrance Hall after that and sitting alone, wondering why on earth you asked me out. Then I decided that it was another of your pranks and that you were trying to make a fool of me, because I saw you leaving the Great Hall a few minutes later with a girl on your arm."

James chuckles. "Yeah, it was Padfoot's date's friend. I couldn't be the only one without a date. For Merlin's sake, Wormtail even got himself a girl."

"I told myself that day that you'd never get the satisfaction of hearing me say yes." She laughs at this. "I suppose I was a bit of an idiot as well." James laughs with her.

"Nah. That would have been smart of you." He jokes and they eat lunch and chat about their favorite memories of Hogsmeade.

"What's next?" Lily asks him eagerly. Neither of them had eaten much, James out of nerves, Lily, he assumes, out of excitement.

"Are you ready for Phase Two?" He asks, smiling as she nearly bounces out of her seat.

"Yes, of course."

"Alright, then come with me."

James takes her to the place where he pulled his first prank on her and the place where she first retaliated. He takes her to the spot where they had their first major public row. Then he takes her to the Prefect's Bathroom.

"This is where you healed me for the very first time. Remember, just before you pushed me into the bath?" He says and they laugh.

"Yes, then I ran into you a few floors up and Peeves dropped ink all over me."

"I almost forgot about that." James says laughing loudly. He remembers her, ink dripping down her hair and back, standing straight, as if she were about to cry. "You still looked gorgeous, even with ink all over you."

"Do you remember what you said to me? Just after you got the ink off?" She asks.

"Uh… I think I told you that you had to throw out your clothes because they were stained or something. Didn't you get real offended? What, were those your favorite pajamas?" He asks vaguely remembering her anger, but not the reasoning behind it.

"No, I had thought you were telling me to take my clothes off for you." Lily says the pink returning to her face. James laughs as he remembers now.

"That's right. Now I remember. That's not what I was asking for, but I wouldn't have said no to it." He tells her and she laughs again pushing him playfully.

"Where next?"

He takes her hand and leads her up to the Astronomy Tower.

"This place will be remembered as the scene to one of the hardest nights of my life."

"The break-up with Danielle was pretty hard on you." Lily says sadly, walking over to the spot she stood in on the night in question.

"That's not what made it so hard for me Lily." He says walking over and standing next to her. "It was because that night was the first time that I had ever been so close to you, yet so far away. Remember how we were standing?" He asks pulling her to him and recreating the stance. "It took all of my strength to not lean down and kiss you that night. I was so lost in you. You looked absolutely stunning. I just wanted to pull you closer and never let go, but you had to return to the party, to _Selwyn_." James nearly spits the name and she smiles at him before getting on tip toe and kissing him.

"I love you James." She says wrapping her arms around his neck.

"There's still more to come, much more." He reminds her after a few moments of kissing.

"Lead the way." She tells him.

He leads her down to the dungeons into Slughorn's Classroom. Lily looks at him quizzically as they take their seats at their usual table in the back.

"I brought you here as reminder of the smell of Amortentia." He tells her. "That day in class I smelled the most seductive scent I have ever smelled, I didn't think it was possible for something to smell so tempting. It was like Treacle Tart mixed with the leather of my Quidditch gloves and this sweet fruity scent, that at the time, I couldn't place. I figured it out up on the Astronomy Tower that night, which made it even harder for me to pull away."

He pauses for a second and looks at her with a small smile on his face. "It was you that I smelled."

"You never told me that before."

"It never came up." He says, shrugging.

"I smelled you as well." She tells him. "For me it was fresh ink, mixed with hot chocolate and this spicy almost musky smell. It was so strong, I couldn't remember where I had smelled it, yet I was sure I had before." She says smiling at him. "Then, the night before the Quidditch final last year you were coming out of the Prefect's Bathroom and I was going in. Do you remember? You had forgotten your shirt in your dormitory? Anyway, I recognized the smell at once. It was unmistakable. You were that strong spicy, musky scent that I couldn't place. I didn't know how to process that at first, but I knew that it meant something."

James can feel his stomach doing back flips. She had smelled his scent in the Amortentia just like he had smelled hers. He just smiles at her, unable to think of what to say.

"What's next?"

"Only three more stops." He promises her.

"Only three?" She asks looking sad. He smiles. He likes that she is enjoying this trip down memory lane.

"Come on." He says and takes her to the kitchens.

"I don't need to remind you of all the nights we spent in here together." He says as Dinky brings them each a cup on hot cocoa and they sit on their regular stools.

"No you don't."

"I just wanted you to know that these nights we spent in here, talking and laughing, and sharing secrets, were some of the best of my life." He tells her.

"Mine too."

"I feel like this place is where we really got to know each other."

"I think I can agree with that." She says, smiling.

"And right over there." James says pointing towards the door. "Is where I stood and listened to you stand up to Selwyn and then choose us, that is to say our friends and I, over him. I can't even describe to you what that felt like." He tells her.

"You're wrong, James. I didn't choose our friends _and_ you over him. I just chose you." She tells him.

He feels that indescribable warmth rush through him at her words and he leans down and kisses her again.

After they finish their cocoa James leads her up to the Hospital Wing. He opens the ward doors to see that Peter has done his duty and made sure that it's completely empty. James vaguely wonders how he lured Pomfrey away, but he lets it go. This is going to be one of the most emotional recaps for him and he has to stay focused. He walks over to the last bed at the very end of the long ward.

"I don't know if you remember this, but this bed is the site of both the first time you visited me in the Hospital Wing and the first, and hopefully only, time I ever visited you." He tells her.

"I didn't realize that." Lily says looking around at him amazed.

"I can't tell you what it meant to me for you to be there that night, Lily. When you sat here holding my hand… I will never forget that. It was so perfect." He tells her. "Then, not even a year later, you were lying in the exact same bed, and all I could do was hope that my presence would be as comforting to you as yours was to me."

"James, waking up and seeing you there was the most wonderful feeling in the world." She assures him.

"That night when I sat here watching you sleep, waiting to just see your eyes again, I realized that nothing in the world could ever keep me from you." He tells her and smiles nervously.

James takes a few steps backwards before she can respond. Directly across from this bed is Remus' usual bed. The one he stays in it after every transformation. He and the other Marauders used to joke with Madam Pomfrey that she should put his name on it to make it official. James takes his place, careful to make sure his feet are in the exact right location. He looks over at Lily who is staring at him confused.

"Come here." He says and she walks over and stands in front of him.

"What's going on?" She asks looking at him with concern etched on her face. He knows he must look nervous.

"Lily, this exact spot I'm standing on right now is the spot that I was standing in nearly a year and a half ago. This is the exact spot that I was standing in when I realized, for the first time in my life, that I am truly in love with you." He tells her and she looks up at him, her face slightly stunned.

"I had come up here to see Moony, but you were already at his bedside. I decided to listen in." He sees her smile wryly and he can guess what she is going to say before she says it.

"And you accuse me of spying." She says and he smiles.

"Well, I was very curious. I heard you talking to him, and it was obvious at once that you knew about his... furry-little-problem. Then it became apparent that you weren't frightened of him. I saw that you accepted him for who he is, and cared enough to empathize with him. I knew then, for sure, that you are special, that you are no ordinary girl. I knew in that moment that I couldn't deny it any longer. I knew that I would never be able to settle for anyone else but you." He tells her.

She looks as if she has tears in her eyes. He wonders what he had said to upset her. _James you idiot! _ His mind shouts at him. _How did you screw this up?_

"Oh James." She says and she flings her arms around him. He's lost for words so he just holds her in his arms as she hugs him close. "You have to be the most romantic person on the planet." She says into his chest. James smiles.

"The day isn't over yet." He reminds her.

She backs away from him, looking excited. "There's more?"

"Oh yes, one more stop before our final destination." He tells her and leads her back out of the ward and up to Gryffindor Tower.

It has grown dark outside and most of the students are back from Hogsmeade by now. James sighs as he leads her through the portrait hole, luckily Lily didn't notice the Fat Lady craning her neck to get a glimpse of Lily's left hand. He sees that the common room is not empty like it is supposed to be. Peter failed this part. James doesn't blame him though. Peter didn't know the reasoning behind James wanting it empty. Besides, he doesn't have Sirius or Remus to help him, and Peter alone wouldn't intimidate anyone except a few first years, maybe.

"Right, well this would be more romantic if there weren't so many people in here." He tells her looking around the room crowded with their fellow Gryffindors.

"It's ok, James." She tells him. "I'm sure you'll find a way to make it romantic no matter what."

He loves the confidence she has in him. Emboldened by her words he feels a little less self-conscious.

"That couch, right over there, the one that the little sprout is jumping on -"

"Maybe we should stop him." Lily says cutting him off.

"No, he'll fall off and learn his lesson like everyone else." James says and chuckles. "But anyway, that's the couch that we shared some of our most intimate secrets on. The one where I think you finally learned to trust me." He says and she smiles.

"I knew I could trust you before that. That's just when I let you know that I trust you." She tells him.

Neither of them notices the second year boy fall off the couch in question and land on his friend, as James had predicted. James just pulls her over towards the boy staircase.

"Now this spot right here," he says standing on the bottom step and staring out into the common room, "is very important."

"How is it important?" Lily asks stepping up next to him and mimicking his stance.

James smirks and leans down to whisper in her ear. He doesn't want anyone else over hearing this. "This is the spot that I had my very first inappropriate thought about you." He says and she chuckles.

"You remember the exact spot of that?" She asks, still laughing.

"Of course, a bloke never forgets the day his dreams can't live up to reality. I don't know if you remember this. It was in our third year and it was really late and I was coming down to sneak out to get some food. When I got to this step I stopped because you were already in the common room, pacing. Right over there." He says pointing to a spot where some first years were playing gobstones. "You were wearing these sexy little short-shorts and a very tight tank top and you had forgotten your robe." He says and she smiles.

"I remember that, you frightened me, I didn't expect anyone to be up so late."

He laughs. "When I was walking to the kitchens under the cloak I decided that I was going to ask you to Hogsmeade, and well, we already went over that." He tells her and pulls her up the stairs to his dormitory.

When he opens the door she leads him over to his bed and sits down. He takes a seat next to her and smiles. "I apparently don't need to explain to you why this spot is so important to me." He states. He knew he wouldn't. He knew she would understand this one right away.

"This is the place where you first told me you love me, and I you." She says and he nods before leaning down to kiss her.

_So far so good. The common room could have gone better, but at least she still seems to be happy._ He pulls back and pushes the hair back away from her face.

"The place I'm taking you next may mean more to me than all the spots I've shown you yet."

"I thought this was our last stop." She says looking confused, obviously thinking that they were going to get more intimate here.

"No, this is our last stop before our destination for the evening."

He feels his insides twisting and churning. _How do people do this?_ He wonders. _I should've just asked her quickly and got it over with. This dragging it out is driving me mad._ He can't believe how instantaneously nervous he had gotten.

James leads her to the Room of Requirement and he can feel his palms getting sweaty and he keeps checking his pocket for the ring he had taken quickly from its hiding place by Sirius' trunk without her noticing before leaving the dormitory. He only had a few more things to do and say before he could ask her. Just a few more places to discuss before Phase Three. The Final Phase.

"The Room of Requirement. Of course!" Lily says smiling as if she should have thought of it. James walks back and forth in front of the bare stretch of wall. He opens the door and lets Lily in to see an exact replica of his bedroom back at Potter Manor.

"I believe again, this one is fairly obvious. But there is another reason that it's so special to me, besides the fact that it holds the current position as the scene of the greatest night of my life." He tells her.

She smiles up at him. "It wasn't just the greatest night of your life, James."

"We have to step out again." He says. Lily nods, as if she had seen that coming.

He paces back and forth again and then opens the door for her, he sees the look of surprise cross her face and he knows she hadn't been expecting this. James shuts the door behind himself and smiles.

"This may not seem that important to you." He guesses as she takes a seat on the same couch that she had sat on so many months ago. "I know we technically found out that we are soul mates in Alvar's classroom, but to me, the real moment that it sunk in was here, when we were talking. I realized that you truly are the woman who is my exact other half." He tells her and he casts his patronus for her. She smiles and follows suit and the doe and stag meet in front of them and nuzzle their noses together before disappearing.

"You're the most amazing man I've met." She tells him, smiling back at him.

"It's still not over."

"There's more?"

"Just one. Come on." He says and leads her back to the hall and shuts the door.

This time he has to pace several times because his mind is so jumbled. He knows what he needs it to be, but it's hard for him to concentrate when he knows what's coming next. _FOCUS! _He demands himself and then he calms down and smiles when the door appears. Lily reaches for the handle but he stays her.

"I think you need this first." He says and smiles as he conjures up a blindfold.

"Really?"

"Please?"

She just nods and he ties the strip of fabric around her head so that it is not too tight but so that she can't see. He leads her carefully into the room. He looks around to make sure everything looks as he imagined it. The white gazebo, back drop to their first kiss and their first date, is in place. He makes sure that her favorite lilies are spread out and look nice. The candles along the railings look spectacular.

James leads her up the steps and into the very center of the gazebo. He pauses to take a deep breath, wipe his hands on the inside of his robes and calm himself. _I can do this. I can do this._ He tells himself. He tries to flatten his hair and then stops because it only makes him more nervous. "Alright, you can remove the blindfold." He tells her.

Lily smiles as she pulls it down from her eyes. James watches as her li[s parts slightly, letting out an 'oh' of surprise. She looks around the room eyes wide. "Oh James, this is beautiful." She says looking back at him.

"Lily, I brought you here, if you recall, on our first official date. And just like that night, I also want this night to be a reminder of our first kiss, which we sat right there on that bench for."

"Of course James, I'll never forget either of those nights." She assures him.

James looks into her emerald eyes and feels as if his stomach is doing all sorts of weird things. He can hear himself saying the words before he consciously decides to start speaking.

"Lily, I have taken you around today and showed you some of the spots that just your mere existence have made special for me. Reminded you of just a few of the special things we shared and let you in on some memories that are special to me that you didn't even know about. I want you to know that you're truly the only person in the world who has ever made me feel the things that I feel for you."

He reaches out for her hands. "You mean more to me than my own life. I love you more than I can ever begin to describe."

He gets down one knee, still holding her hands in his. He sees the look of shock, mixed with things he can't comprehend in his own nervous state, cross her face.

"I don't ever want to know, Lily, what it would be like to live without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He lets go of her right hand and reaches into his pocket to pull out the ring that his father had given him.

"Lily Anne Evans, will you marry me?" He asks, looking up into her face, holding out the ring for her to see.

* * *

**A/N – DUN, DUN, DUN!**

**Will Lily say yes? Does she want to marry James? What will happen? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Thrice Defied!  
(That was all supposed to be said in the voice of a Soap Opera narrator)**

**:-) I know you hate me right? You're screaming at your screens: Why did you leave it at that? Why don't we get to know Lily's answer?**

**Answers: I left it here to torture you. Just kidding, I really left it here because if I included her answer and the aftermath in this chapter it would be way too long. Also, I wanted this chapter to be all about the proposal and nothing else. You'll get to hear Lily's answer in the next chapter, I promise, though I am quite certain you can already guess what it will be. ;-)**

**Thoughts and feedback and lovely reviews are always appreciated. I love to hear what you guys are thinking and explain to you why I did what I did.**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N – Imagine the Soap Opera narrator's voice. :-)**

_**Previously on Thrice Defied**_

_"Lily, I have taken you around today and showed you some of the spots that just your mere existence have made special for me. Reminded you of just a few of the special things we shared and let you in on some memories that are special to me that you didn't even know about. I want you to know that you're truly the only person in the world who has ever made me feel the things that I feel for you."_

_He reaches out for her hands. "You mean more to me than my own life. I love you more than I can ever begin to describe."_

_He gets down one knee, still holding her hands in his. He sees the look of shock, mixed with things he can't comprehend in his own nervous state, cross her face._

_"I don't ever want to know, Lily, what it would be like to live without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_

_He lets go of her right hand and reaches into his pocket to pull out the ring that his father had given him._

_"Lily Anne Evans, will you marry me?" He asks, looking up into her face, holding out the ring for her to see._

* * *

Lily's heart has stopped beating.

Yet, her mind is still screaming its joy. She looks down at the man she loves, kneeling in front of her. She stares into his hazel eyes, seeing the love, excitement, nerves and fear in them. She vaguely recognizes that he is holding out a ring for her, but all she can focus on is his face. Nearly a half of a second passes before something clicks into place in her brain, making her thoughts coherent again, but the only thought that registers is _yes._ Instead of calmly voicing this thought she nearly screams it.

"Yes!" She says and a wide grin crosses his face as excitement and love beat out the other emotions in his eyes.

"You will?" He asks.

"Of course I will, James!" She says, her excitement still making her voice an octave higher than its usual tone. He stands up and wraps his arms around her waist lifting her into the air as he kisses her deeply.

"I love you so much, Lily." He tells her, still not setting her down.

"I love you." She says, wrapping her arms around his neck, not letting his lips leave hers for too long.

Finally he sets her down and gazes directly into her eyes. "You have no idea how happy you've just made me." He tells her and motions for her to sit down on the bench. "Do you want me to put the ring on?" He asks with excitement barely contained in his voice.

"Oh, yes! Of course!" She says and holds out her left hand for him. She had almost forgotten about the ring. She was so lost in her own thoughts about what had just happened, her own excitement overtaking everything else. "It fits perfect." She says staring at it amazed.

"It's magical. It automatically sizes itself to the wearer." James explains. "It was my grandma Potter's. My dad gave it to me when I told him that I wanted to propose to you. He said he couldn't think of any other person better fit to wear it."

Lily smiles at him and looks down at the ring again, really taking in its beauty. It's a shiny gold band with a beautiful carat sized diamond in the middle with three tiny emeralds on either side. "I know I shouldn't be surprised by this after all this time, but is the also goblin made?" She asks looking over at him.

"Unlind's famous forged gold, made specifically for my Grandma in 1890." James explains. Lily shakes her head, unable to believe that this is real.

"It's so beautiful, James."

"I am glad you like it. I was so worried that it would be out dated. My mum told me that she didn't want to wear it because it didn't match the times when she and dad got married." He tells her.

"Well I'm glad she didn't want it, because I love it and if she had it, then I may not have gotten it." Lily says, smiling smugly at him.

"Trust me love, my mum would have given it up for you." He says smirking back. Lily chuckles a little. "Are you happy?" He asks wrapping his arms around her just as he had done the night they first kissed.

"Happy doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling." She tells him and snuggles her head into his chest. "I love you so much, James." She reminds him, looking up to see his eyes burning with emotion.

James leans down and kisses her passionately, as if trying to convey all his joy and excitement about the engagement in just one kiss. Lily returns it with the same ferocity and soon she finds herself wishing they were vertical. James moves his lips to her neck and she smiles remembering where they are. _We need a bed._ She thinks and in the corner appears the same white four-poster that had appeared the night they found out they are soul mates.

"I like the way you think." James whispers in her ear before lifting her up, much the same way a groom lifts his bride, and carriers her to the corner. He lays her gently in the center of the large bed and positions himself next to her, leaning down and kissing her neck again.

"I'm so happy you said yes." He tells her moving his lips to hers and kissing her softly. Lily can't think of a good enough response for this because she is so beyond happy herself so she just moves her hands up to tangle in his hair.

A while later James collapses onto his back next her, panting from the ecstasy that had just overcome them both. He reaches out and puts his arms around her and she snuggles into his bare chest. She can hear his heart still beating rapidly and she can tell that its pace matches her own. She isn't sure why, but she feels like that might have been the best orgasm she has ever had.

"I think this may have just won out as the greatest day of my life." She says as she kisses his chest.

"Mine too." He tells her while tracing light circles along her naked back. They lay there for a while not speaking, just enjoying their happiness.

Lily replays the day for herself in her mind. James is so romantic. Every time she thinks he can't be any more romantic, he is. She plays his words in her head over and over again. Then she remembers something that didn't seem to matter in the moment, but now she is curious about. She leans back slightly letting her head rest against his arm now so that she can look up into his face.

"Earlier, when we first got to the Room of Requirement, you made it your bedroom for us." She says and he nods to let her know he is following her. "Well, you said that the room is important to you for another reason, besides the obvious one."

"It is." He says smiling at her.

"What's the other reason?"

"That room is special to me, not only because of the night we really gave ourselves to each other, but also because I was laying in that bed with you the first moment I realized that I wanted you to be my wife." He tells her.

"You knew you wanted to marry me back round your birthday?" She asks amazed.

"No, Christmas." He corrects. "I knew that very night, Lily. I knew then that you're the only one I ever want to share something like that with. Knew that you are the only one I want to be with, forever." He explains and Lily can feel her heart racing again. Then another piece of the night clicks into place, another piece that hadn't mattered until she really thought about it.

"You said your dad gave you this ring." She says and she sits up on her elbow now to look at him. He smiles weakly at her and reaches up to stroke her cheek.

"He did. That first day at my parents' house over Easter break. When I pulled him aside, that's why. I told him that I want to marry you. I was just looking for his blessing, but he gave us so much more, Lily." He tells her. Lily can feel the tears in her eyes again.

"Won't your mother want to keep this, as a memory of him?" She asks him holding up her hand with the ring on it.

"Lily, she doesn't need a ring to remember him by. Besides it was never her ring in the first place, remember. He wanted you to have that ring, wanted me to give it to you." He says. She can see how hard it is for him to talk about his late father, hear the sadness in his voice as he dredges up these memories.

"I'm so sorry, James." She says as she realizes that she has brought these painful memories into their perfect evening.

"It's quite alright, Lily. I'm glad you asked about this. I want you to know that he truly loved you like a daughter. It's sad that he didn't make it to see us actually get married, but it's good to know that he knew before he died that I would ask you." He says smiling at her. "I think he would have been happier than anyone to hear our news." He tells her with a smile. Lily smiles too and moves her hand up to meet his where it rests on her face.

"I'm glad that he knew as well." She tells him. He gives her a soft kiss and she lays her head back down on his arm but he continues to stroke her cheek. "Does your mum know as well?"

"Yes, dad told her that night. She's been writing to Padfoot for weeks asking him if I've asked you yet." He chuckles. "I'm afraid she might be a bit unbearable when I tell her you actually agreed to marry me." Lily laughs too.

"At least she's excited. I'm a bit nervous to tell my parents. Engaged to be married at eighteen, they may not approve." She says, voicing her main concern.

Most people in the Muggle world would say that they are too young to get married. She doesn't know what age is acceptable for witches and wizards to wed. She had never thought much about it. She figures that as soon as her classmates find out, the rumors will fly that she is pregnant.

"Don't be nervous, your parents took it well enough. Well, your dad did anyway. I didn't see your mum's reaction." He says fairly.

Lily looks up at him shocked. "My dad knows?"

"Of course. I had to ask for permission to marry you, didn't I?" He says with a little chuckle, holding her hand in his.

Lily's taken back to years ago when she and Petunia would watch old movies. The man would ask the woman's father for her hand in marriage. Lily smiles. _He really is an old-fashioned gentleman, though most traditions in the wizarding world seem old-fashioned._

"He gave it then?" She asks.

"Yeah, he didn't even give me a hard time about it either. I asked him the last night of our stay at your parents place. When we were out in the garage, you know. He said he could see how much I care about you and he knows you'll be protected and loved with me. He said I made it really easy to say yes." James says with a smile.

Lily too smiles. James already took care of her biggest worry. He truly does know how to make her happy. "Well I'm glad you asked then." Then after thinking for a moment she asks, "What would you have done if he said no?"

James seems to ponder this for a moment. "Honestly, I would have been upset and tried to do whatever I could to change his mind, but in the end, nothing would have been able to stop me from spending the rest of my life with you." He tells her and she kisses him. He always knows what to say.

"Good answer." She compliments him. "So, our parents already know. Is that why you wanted them to have that dinner so badly?" She asks him, yet another thing finally making sense. She feels like it should have been obvious. _How could I have missed all the signs? I was so busy trying to get him to pick up on mine, I was missing his!_

"Actually that was your mum's suggestion. She asked me about it the night before we went to Petunia's house. My mum has been asking for months of course, ever since she met them at King's Cross." He says with a chuckle. "My plans just seemed to add to everyone's desire to get together." He explains.

"And you mentioned Sirius before. I assume he knows as well?" She asks and James nods.

"I told him and Moony the day after my birthday and then I told Wormy first day back after break." He explains. "All three of them were supposed to help me keep everything private tonight, but as you could see with Honeyduke's and the common room, it didn't work so well with just Wormtail. I bet it would have been a lot more romantic if it had all been private." He says looking wistful.

"This day was more romantic than I can even say." She tells him and he seems to swell with pride. "But we could have been in the middle of the crowded Night Bus and I would've still said yes."

James smiles at her and kisses her forehead. "Remember last weekend when we had that row about me lying to you when I snuck into Hogsmeade with Moony?"

"Yes." _What does that have to do with anything?_

"Well, the reason why I lied, and then still refused to tell you the truth, was because I had snuck into Hogsmeade to make sure that Rosmerta knew to reserve the right tables and to bribe the guard at Hogsmeade station to let me take you back to the train today." He informs her.

Lily is stunned. "So, all this suspicious behavior last few weeks, that's all because of today?"

"Yeah, I didn't realize I was being so obvious about it though." He chuckles.

Lily thinks back over all the things he had done that made her wonder what was going on with him. It's relieving to know that he was just trying to surprise her with the proposal. "So, when you told me you tripped over your trunk and cut your arm, what really happened?" She asks and he laughs.

"That one is a little embarrassing." He admits.

She looks up at him and grins. "What is it?"

"I did trip and fall on my trunk but it was because I was practicing how I was going to propose. You know, one knee, two knees, standing, sitting… I was getting a feel for how I wanted to do it."

Lily laughs and he does as well. "I love you, James."

"I love you too."

There is nothing left to say. He had completely erased all of her worries. She feels as if nothing else matters. The ever looming war, the rest of the school, her family, their friends, the Order… nothing. Nothing matters to her in this moment except James and their happiness over promising to be together for the rest of their lives. Eventually she falls asleep on her betrothed's chest hand clamped in his.

* * *

James wakes to the sound of running water, which confuses him for a moment. He sits up, blinking the sunlight out of his eyes as he puts his glasses on. Looking around the room he notices a door that hadn't been there last night. The water stops and James realizes what must have happened.

"Lily?" He calls and the door opens and a tuft of sopping wet hair appears in the doorway before Lily, wrapped in a fluffy looking white towel.

"Morning." She says, smiling impishly at him. "I didn't want to walk down to breakfast this morning wearing the same clothes with my hair a mess. So, the room provided." She explains, happily pointing to the wardrobe.

James chuckles. "Good thinking. Think that wardrobe has extra clothes for me?"

"I think it may." She says in mock thoughtful voice.

He gets up out of bed and she wolf-whistles at him as he makes his way to the shower. "Behave or you may just need another shower." He warns her and she giggles.

When they're both showered and fully clothed James reaches for her hand and they leave the Room of Requirement. He feels the ring around her finger as she clasps his hand.

"Does it feel strange?" He asks her. She looks over at him confusedly, almost panicky, so he elaborates. "Sorry, I meant does it feel strange to be wearing a ring now?" He asks, pulling her hand up to his lips.

He sees the relief on her face as answers. "You know, I was thinking about that in the shower. I thought it would feel weird, but it doesn't. It almost seems like I should have been wearing it before, and my hand felt weird without it. Does that make any sense?" She asks looking up at him, he can see her need for him to understand in her eyes. He smiles and gives her hand a squeeze.

"It makes perfect sense." He says. She smiles.

They fall silent for a moment, and he wonders if she is worried about what is waiting for them in the Great Hall. Surely all their friends will be waiting to hear Lily's answer. "Are you worried?" He asks her.

"About what everyone is going to say?" She shakes her head. "I was at first, but then I decided it doesn't matter. We're in love and we know that we are made for each other. Why should they care if we want to spend the rest of our lives together?" She says waving her hand dismissively. He nods.

That is exactly how he feels as well. He's sure that their engagement will be the talk of the school for the rest of term, but it matters little to him. They can say what they want to say, he'll marry Lily no matter what. They'll be together forever and nothing anyone says will stop them. Only, for James, forever with Lily still wouldn't be long enough.

They enter the Great Hall and see their friends at their usual spot. Suddenly something occurs to James. "Want to play a prank on our friends?" He asks Lily.

She smiles wide. "Of course."

"Alright, follow my lead." He whispers and they take their seats.

"Well?" Sirius practically shouts the moment they sit down.

"We don't really want to talk about it, mate." James says reaching to grab some pancakes. He's trying his hardest to sound sulky, but it's difficult to do when he's actually so ecstatic. Sirius' smile falls from his face comically. James almost gives up the joke, but he holds it together.

"Don't want to talk about what?" Beth asks, looking between Lily and James and Sirius. _Apparently Mary didn't fill her in._

"Nothing Beth, leave it." Lily says in a slightly embarrassed voice. James makes a mental note to compliment her on her acting skills.

Peter looks at James sadly and asks. "Did she turn you down again, mate?" James feels Remus kick Peter under the table. "Ow!" Peter says leaning down to rub his shin. "I just asked what we're all thinking." He says defensively.

"Well, maybe if you lot," James begins pointing to Remus and Sirius, "hadn't landed yourselves in detention things would have been different." He tried to sound angry, but he's so close to laughter as he watches their horrified expressions.

Lily almost breaks but luckily she composes herself in time so that no one notices.

"James, I told you my answer would've been the same no matter what." She says in flat, detached voice. James almost laughs at the completely dumfounded look on Sirius' face.

"But, you're still… together?" Mary asks sounding completely perplexed.

"Well they obviously don't want to talk about it, so let's just leave it." Remus says.

"No, it's ok Moony." Lily says looking at James and he gives her a nod. "Of course we are still together, because…" She says and James smiles widely as he looks back at his friends.

"We're getting married." He tells them bringing his and Lily's clasped hands up onto the table so that everyone can see the ring.

The eruption of noise from their friends turns almost every head in the hall.

"I knew it!" Sirius shouts standing and up and thumping James on the back. "I knew she couldn't resist you, Prongs."

"Congratulations!" Mary says hugging Lily.

"Let me see the ring!" Beth demands pulling Lily's hand across the table.

As they begin to eat James let's his eyes wander the hall. Dumbledore catches his eye and nods, raising his goblet in James and Lily's direction. James smiles broadly at the old man. He feels strangely reassured by this gesture from his headmaster. He lets his eyes continue to roam, he sees people staring and pointing in their direction and he knows they had all heard.

His eyes fall on the Slytherin table. He sees Snape sitting completely still, staring directly at the ring on Lily's finger. His gaze shifts to James and their eyes lock. Snape's expression turns murderous as he gets up from his seat. For one wild moment James thinks that Snape is going to come over to them, but he just races from the hall. James feels the tiniest bit of sympathy for the boy he loathes. He doesn't even want to think about what it would feel like to watch Lily get engaged to another man. It would be worse pain than the Cruciatus curse he thinks.

James is brought back to the conversation at their table by Remus. "Don't complain Padfoot they got us good." He says and James laughs. "You had us going there for minute. I was afraid that Padfoot was going to hex Lily." He tells James.

"You should've seen your face, mate. I thought someone had confounded you." James says to Sirius. They all laugh at this.

"So, how did he do it?" Mary asks. "None of us know the details, he wouldn't tell." She adds shooting James a dirty look.

Lily laughs and starts to explain how he took her to every place that had a significant meaning to them. He's glad that she didn't go into too much detail. He loves hearing her tell the story. She pauses when she gets to the part about the Room of Requirement, because neither Beth nor Mary knew about the place as far as he knew.

"He transformed a class room to look like his back a garden, just like he did on our first date." She tells them. "And he proposed to me in the gazebo where we had our first kiss." She gushes.

Beth sighs wistfully. "I wish Barry was that romantic."

"James is one of a kind." Lily says proudly wrapping her arm around his and kissing his cheek.

Just then the post owls came swooping in and James sees Hamlet and Oscar descending upon them with a large package.

"Were you expecting a package?" James asks Lily.

"No. Were you Padfoot?" Lily asks as the owls set down the parcel knocking over Mary's pumpkin juice.

"No." He says. James reaches up and takes the scroll off Hamlet's leg and receives an affectionate nip in return.

"It's addressed to me." He says unrolling it.

**Jamie dear,**

**Sirius told me that you are planning to propose to Lily this weekend so I thought I would send this along to you. Rose was here on Wednesday for tea and we came up with all sorts of ideas for the wedding.**

**The contents of the box are mainly for Lily to peruse. If you didn't ask her yet, tell her that the box is for Sirius. But, since I know you, I assume you did ask her, so I will be expecting to hear how you proposed by tomorrow morning. **

**All my love,**

**Mum**

James shakes his head at the letter. "The box is for you." He tells Lily and shows her the note. She laughs and begins to unwrap the package. Inside are several Muggle bridal magazines, Witch Weekly's Bridal Issue, several pamphlets on venues and another letter.

James looks at the contents and feels his thoughts racing. He hadn't expected the wedding plans to begin the day after he proposed. Remus, Sirius and Peter burst out laughing and he looks over at them confused. "What?" He demands.

"You look as if you just realized you actually have to get married." Remus explains.

James looks over at Lily and she too looks like she's about to laugh. It's true he hadn't given much thought to the actual wedding. He was more focused on the part where he gets to be with Lily forever.

"I just didn't think it would start so soon." He says picking up one of the pamphlets. "Absolutely not, I refuse to get married in a barn." He says showing her the pamphlet he is holding. The front cover is a picture of an old red barn with cows out front. Lily and Mary laugh at this.

"Agreed." Lily says.

When they're finished eating, Lily packs everything back up into the box.

"Let's go out onto the grounds, it's so nice out." Beth suggests.

The others agree and they walk as a group of seven out onto the grounds to laze under their favorite beech tree. James lounges up against the trunk of the tree and Lily rests up against his chest. Sirius sprawls down in front of them looking for a moment like the large black dog that he is. The others form a circle around them.

After a few minutes of idle chit-chat Mary stands up. Everyone looks at her, wondering what's going on. "Last one in has to kiss the giant squid." She announces and takes off towards the lake. Half a beat later Sirius is up and chasing after her.

James makes to stand up but Lily holds him down. She pushes off his chest and takes off. He laughs to himself as he stands up and chases after her. _She's in for it now._ He catches up to her easily and wraps his arm around her waist. She screeches as he lifts her up over his shoulder. He walks into the lake slowly carrying her above the water. The water's warm for early June so he pulls her back over her shoulder letting her fall into the water softly. He laughs as she reemerges and pushes him playfully.

"Lily, looks like you're the last in!" Mary calls to her.

"You know what that means!" Beth jeers.

"You must smooch the giant squid!" Sirius declares.

"Although, kissing Prongs must be an awful lot like kissing the giant squid, so it should be no problem for you." Remus adds and the others laugh riotously. James swims over to his friend and dunks his head under the water.

After a few hours of swimming they all head back to shore. The light breeze making the air quite chilly so James and Sirius transfigure some rocks into blankets and towels while Lily and Remus put warming charms on them. The girls dry their hair with their wands and the boys head back to the beach tree.

"So, our little Prongsie is getting married." Sirius jokes.

"They grow up so fast." Remus adds in a mock reminiscent voice.

"Are you scared mate?" Sirius asks him.

James ponders this for a moment. He isn't nervous about being married. To him living with Lily, waking up by her side every morning is the best thing he can think of. But, the actual getting married part does worry him a bit. He knows his mother. She'll want a grand affair for the wedding, with loads of people and extremely lavish decorations. James thinks back to Petunia's wedding. He's sure that Mrs. Evans will want the same thing for Lily.

"No, marriage doesn't scare me. It's the wedding that will be the hardest part, I think."

Peter chuckles bitterly and everyone looks at him but the girls approach then and they let the subject drop. James opens his blanket up for Lily and he wraps it around her as she lies in his arms. They are snuggly enveloped in their blanket, chatting, enjoying their last Sunday on the grounds with their friends.

At lunch time the girls head into the castle to get some food to bring it out so that they can have a nice picnic. "So what's up with you, Wormy?" James asks as soon as the girls are out of ear shot.

"I just wish I could get a girl to marry me." He says bitterly. James glances at Sirius and then Remus.

"Uh, got someone in mind mate?" Remus asks.

"Don't laugh ok, just hear me out." He says giving them all a pleading look. They all nod and wait for him to explain. "It's Mary." He says looking down at his hands. "She has just been so nice to me the last few months and she always sits by me and hangs out around me. I think she likes me too." He says.

James glances at Sirius. Sirius and Mary have always had some kind of flirty thing going on between them. They would snog sometimes and James suspects they may have even shagged a few times. But they weren't ever serious about each other, as far as he knew.

Sirius' face shows shock and slight indignation, but neither of the others seem to pick up on this though. James is fairly good at reading Sirius' moods and expressions. He can understand. There were never any issues with his and Mary's arrangement before, but if Peter now likes Mary, it would definitely be a problem.

"What makes you think that?" Sirius asks, almost harshly. James throws him a warning glare.

"Like I said, she's just really nice to me all the time." He shrugs. "She always sits by me and walks with me in the halls." James can see Sirius' knuckles going white on his clenched fists.

James hasn't noticed any signs that Mary could possibly have feelings for Peter. She always shows preference to Sirius in these group settings. _Hadn't she been Sirius' partner when we played chicken earlier?_ He wonders thinking back to the water game they were playing where Lily was on his shoulders, Mary on Sirius' and Beth on Remus'.

"I'm not sure mate. Mary isn't the commitment type is she?" James says choosing his words carefully.

"Yeah, she has too much energy to even stay seated for too long. I doubt she'll have the patience for marriage." Remus adds helpfully. "Besides I always thought she fancied Padfoot." Remus says and James smirks. Apparently Remus had noticed something too.

Peter sighs as the girls return with platters of food. Lily comes over and sits on James' lap.

"Close your eyes." She commands. James obeys and she whispers in his ear to open his mouth. He again obeys and she feeds him the most delicious piece of treacle tart he has ever eaten.

"Mm. Desert first." He says opening his eyes. "I like that." He adds suggestively and she giggles moving from his lap to sit at his side between him and Remus.

As Beth hands out plates Mary walks over to Sirius and whispers in his ear. Sirius, looking extremely guilty, closes his eyes. Mary feeds him a bit of an éclair she is holding and then wipes the excess cream from his lips with her finger and then licks it off suggestively. James hears Sirius swallow hard from all away across the circle. It would've been extremely funny if Peter hadn't just confessed what he had.

James looks over at him and sees him watching the interaction with a small smile on his face. Then he catches James' eye and seems to remember something and jumps up. "I, uh, need to go ask McGonagall something." He says and rushes off towards Hagrid's cabin. James looks over at Remus, who looks as he feels.

"What's wrong with him?" Lily asks, watching him walk away.

"I guess he just thought of a question for McGonagall." Remus says with a shrug.

"Don't lie. He was heading off towards Hagrid's, not to see McGonagall." Lily says defiantly.

James leans down to whisper in her ear inconspicuously. "I'll fill you in later, just let it go."

She nods and then listens to Mary. "He's been acting so strange lately."

"I think he fancies you." Beth jokes and all three boys look uncomfortable.

"Nah, he likes that Sheng. Didn't you hear him in the common room?" Mary says barely containing her laughter.

"What happened?" James asks.

"Oh I forgot." Lily says, looking as if she too were trying not to laugh. "You three weren't there. You all had detention, but we were hanging out in the common room studying and Peter fell asleep on the couch." Lily explains.

"I swear he was having a wet dream." Mary says crudely.

"He was mumbling about Sheng in his sleep and Lily had to wake him up when he started to hump the couch." Beth says and the three girls couldn't hold it in any longer. They burst out laughing at the memory.

"Was he embarrassed?" Remus asks.

"Not too bad. We were really the only three around." Lily admits.

"And he played it off like he was just joking." Mary says. The boys erupt with laughter at this.

"I taught him well." James says smiling. "I used to pull that one all the time, remember mates?" He asks his friends.

"Course, how could we forget?" Sirius laughs.

"Prongs, you're lucky she never heard you. You'd smack him if you heard the things he did to you in his sleep, Lily." Remus laughs.

"What makes you think he doesn't do them to me now?" Lily asks, not missing a beat.

Beth and Mary burst out in a fresh wave of giggles. James nods his approval at her words and Sirius falls over laughing.

Remus looks as if he is pondering that. "Good point." He finally concedes tucking into his sandwich.

They finish their lunch and Lily leans into James' chest again.

"I'm going to miss this place." Mary sighs lying back onto the grass.

"Me too." Lily agrees.

Peter returns then and joins the group as if nothing happened and engages the boys in a talk about Quidditch. The girls start talking about wedding details and James hears Beth describe how she wants to get married in a large church. It sounds to James a lot like Petunia's wedding.

"You're so lucky, Lily." Beth says. "At least James' mum likes you. Barry's mum hates me. She treats me like a pariah." She says sulkily. James chuckles.

"My mum loves Lily." He says hugging her closer to his chest. "Remember Padfoot, what she said after Lily's stay last summer?"

Sirius laughs. "Sure do." Sirius says sitting up. "_James Charles Potter, if you don't marry that girl I will disown you_." Sirius says in an uncanny impersonation of James' mother. Everyone laughs at this.

"So, you see I didn't want to be disowned." He says and Lily chuckles.

"I am lucky." Lily tells Beth. "James' family has always been very inviting. I think his parents secretly wanted a girl." She says with a wink.

"It's no secret." Remus says and everyone laughs again.

A while later Hamlet floats down to Lily, and James chuckles. "What?" Lily asks taking the letter from Hamlet's leg.

"My mum is so impatient. She couldn't wait for me to respond, so she had to send you a letter too." He states, laughing.

"It's for you." Lily says reading the name on the scroll.

"Nah, she only addressed it to me as a precaution. I'm positive it's for you." He tells her and she unrolls the scroll. James reads over her shoulder.

**Jamie dear,**

**I only addressed this to you in the extremely unlikely chance you didn't propose to Lily, so please hand this over to her.**

James laughs. "See, I told you." He says. Lily also laughs and the others do too, realizing that James must be right. He continues to read the rest of the letter.

**Lily,**

**I am so glad that Jamie finally had the sense to ask you to be his wife. I would have disowned him if he hadn't.**

"Told you!" James says again.

"Sh! I'm trying to read." Lily scolds him.

**If you already got the package I sent this morning than you will know that your mother and I have been having weekly teas ever since we found out Jamie was going to propose. I tell you, it was hard to keep it secret.**

**We want your opinions and ideas as soon as possible so we can start the concrete plans right away. Don't forget to look at venues. We will need to book soon. No one likes a long engagement.**

**Your mum will be here tomorrow so I really hope to have some of your ideas to discuss with her. And don't forget to tell us how he proposed. He refused to even tell his own mother.**

**Send Hamlet back with your reply.**

**All my love,**

**Your soon-to-be Mother-in-Law**

James swallows as he reads this. "So we really do have to start planning today?" He asks Lily.

"Afraid so. I at least have to tell them how you proposed."

"They're going to be unbearable until the wedding, aren't they?" He asks her. They both had almost forgotten that their friends were around them.

"Come on Prongs, you know mum. She loves planning big events like this." Sirius says.

"What did she want?" Mary asks and Lily hands her the note, sitting up to look through the large box of wedding stuff again.

At dinner time the girls decide to take the box back up to the common room before meeting them in the Great Hall. James takes his seat next to Sirius at the Gryffindor table and begins to tuck in.

"Good evening Mr.'s Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew." Dumbledore says from behind him.

"Good evening, Sir." They say in unison.

"James, would it be too much of me to ask to speak to you and Lily after dinner?" He asks.

"Of course it isn't, would you like us to meet you in your office, Sir?"

"Yes, that would be great. Thank you James." Dumbledore says. "Enjoy your meal." He says nodding to each of them in turn before returning to the Head Table.

"Wonder what he wants." Sirius says, his eyes following the old man.

"No idea. Maybe it's Head stuff." James suggests hopefully. The girls arrive then and Lily takes her seat next to him.

"What'd we miss?" She asks scooping herself some potatoes.

"Dumbledore just stopped by. He wants us to meet him in his office after dinner." He tells her.

"Why?" She asks confused.

"Dunno. He didn't say, but I told him we'll be there." Lily just nods, looking as if she were deep in thought.

The rest of dinner passes uneventfully and when they both are done eating they walk hand-in-hand to their Head Master's office.

"Good Evening." Dumbledore says as James and Lily enter his office. "Please sit down." He says and gestures to the chairs in front of his desk. They sit and look at their professor expectantly. Waiting to find out why they were asked to come speak to him.

"I would first like to offer my congratulations. I cannot tell you how delighted I was to hear of your engagement." He says and James smiles over at Lily.

"Thank you, Sir." She says. James reaches over and takes her hand in his. She gives it a little squeeze.

"I must warn you though." Dumbledore begins. "While I, and so many others, see this union as a wonderful occurrence, you will forgive me for saying so, but the Death Eaters will not see it this way."

James just stares at his Headmaster. He knows the Death Eaters won't approve, but why should he care? Their opinion means less to James than a beetle's. What does matter to him is Dumbledore's opinion.

"Are you saying that you don't think we should get married, Sir?" James asks unable to keep the contempt from his voice. Lily looks over at him shocked.

"No, no you misunderstand me." Dumbledore says shaking his head with a small smile. "I merely mean to warn you that Voldemort and his Death Eaters will try to use any means necessary to prevent it from coming to be." He says and James feels a bit more relaxed. "My advice to you would be to not wait too long." James nods. The advice makes sense. He feels Lily give his hand another squeeze.

"I also wanted to give you another warning. As you both know, having faced him yourselves, Voldemort is very cunning. He will use any means to achieve his goals. I only warn you of this because soon enough he will hear of your plans to marry and I believe that once he knows he will try to use you against each other. I warn you of this so that you are on your guard and can hopefully avoid his traps." Dumbledore says and James nods. His first orders from the Order of the Phoenix.

"We will, Sir. Thank you for your warnings and advice. They'll be helpful." He says and Lily nods.

"Yes, thank you, Sir. It means so much to us that you approve of our decision to wed." She says and Dumbledore smiles brightly.

"I must say Lily I have never been one for Divination or destiny, but if anything has ever seemed fated to me, it is you and James' relationship." He says, the twinkle once again playing in his eyes. "I recall back in your fifth year you were both called to my office. Lily I believe it was your first visit and James, were we on number six?" He says and James chuckles.

"Sounds about right." James agrees.

"Well, you had gotten into quite a heated argument in your Transfiguration lesson. James, you were shrunk down to about fifty centimeters tall and your fingernails wouldn't stop growing. Lily, your hair was turned an electric blue and you had a tail and whiskers." Dumbledore stops to chuckle at the memory. "I must admit I was impressed with your magical skill.

Then, even after being lectured by Professor McGonagall you were still snapping at each other when you arrived in my office. I will never forget that day. When I asked you to explain yourself James, do you recall what you said?" He asks. James shakes his head. He usually tried to forget his and Lily's rows.

"You said, 'ask her, she is the unreasonable one.'" Dumbledore laughs again. "Then you had another little argument which ended with Lily saying she would rather go on a date with a goblin than with you." The old man says unable to stop himself from laughing. James and Lily both join in.

"She always did come up with creative things she would rather go out with than me."

Lily laughs. "I was running out, that's why I had to finally accept." All three of them were laughing quite a bit.

"I must admit, I always had a feeling you would end up as more than just sworn enemies. I could see the mutual attraction hidden beneath the insults and the anger. It was rather sweet to watch you grow together. I'm not at all ashamed to tell you that I have been rooting for you two for quite some time." He tells them.

Lily smiles back. "That's very sweet of you, Sir. I must say it's good to hear."

"Thank you, Sir." James adds lamely. James is extremely touched by his words and can't think of how to express how nice it is to have him on their side.

"That is all I wanted to tell you." Dumbledore says. "Please don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything at all." He tells them and James and Lily know themselves to be dismissed.

"Thank you again, Sir." Lily says before they head back down the spiraling staircase.

As they walk up to Gryffindor Tower James lets out a small chuckle.

"What?" Lily asks looking up at him.

"I just remembered why you were so angry at me that day back in fifth year." He tells her and Lily smiles.

"Ah yes, I had just dropped my wand." She remembers. "And you came up behind me and said,"

"You know Evans if you go out with me I can teach you how to properly handle wood." He finishes for her and she chuckles. "Turns out, you knew how to handle it just fine without my help." He says and she pushes him playfully.

When they enter the common room they spot Peter and Remus sitting at a table playing chess and they join them. Lily brings over the big box of wedding stuff and begins writing a letter to their mothers. James sits down next to her and reads as she explains how he proposed. _She makes it seem so much more romantic than it was._ He thinks. He turns just in time to watch Remus' knight capture Peter's queen.

"Alright, I'm off to bed." Peter announces.

"It's only just seven o'clock." Remus says looking amazed.

"I'm knackered from exams and everything, besides, I have a book in the dorm I want to finish reading before we leave school, and you know how I like quiet when I read." He explains.

James calls goodnight to their friend before turning back to look at Lily. She had nearly half the scroll filled up with the details of his proposal. "Lily, you don't have to write them a novel."

"I want them to know the whole story, it's so romantic." She says with a smile.

James rolls his eyes and looks around the common room. Sirius had just entered the portrait hole and James is about to wave his friend over when Mary walks up to him. She whispers something in his ear and then walks out of the open portrait hole. Sirius stands looking torn. Then he heads makes his way up the boy's staircase.

"Oh shit." James says and stands up. "I'll be right back. Marauder thing." He tells Lily before following Sirius up to their dormitory, Remus right behind him. _This is going to be a bad one_.

* * *

"Well that was quick." Lily says as James and Remus return to the common room only five minutes later. "Sirius ran through here like a mad man. So either it wasn't as bad as you seemed to think or now we have to deal with Peter's dead body and Sirius is on the run from the ministry." She surmises smiling at her own joke. James and Remus chuckle.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought. Earlier today, when you lot went to get lunch, Wormy told us that he likes Mary." James explains.

"Mary?" Lily asks astonished.

"That's was our reaction." Remus says. "And, I don't know if you've noticed but there has been something going on between Mary and Padfoot for a while now."

"Oh I've noticed." Lily says. "Heard them in an unused classroom back in fifth year, but I didn't want to let them know I heard them so I pretended I didn't know." She tells them.

"What did I tell you about spying?" James says with a smirk.

"You're one to talk." She shoots back. Remus laughs at their banter.

"Well anyway, Padfoot went up there to tell him about his and Mary's arrangement." Remus says. "That's why Prongs and I reacted so quickly."

"Ah, so what happened? Peter give him the go ahead?"

"No." James says smiling. "Turns out Wormtail never liked Mary. He just wanted Sirius to admit to their arrangement." Lily looks amazed.

"Well isn't he sneaky. I can certainly see why you keep him around." She says with a laugh. Remus laughs as well.

"Now if you will excuse me, I believe I saw a pretty bird visiting Slughorn this afternoon. I need to go stage a run-in." Remus says smirking as he walks towards the portrait hole. Lily waves to him and then turns her attention back to her letter.

"What are you writing about now?" James asks her.

"Just some of my ideas for the wedding." She says distractedly.

"Do I get a say?" He asks and Lily looks up at him.

"I didn't realize you wanted a say." She says. "Most men would hate to be asked their opinions on this sort of thing."

"Well I'm not most men." He reminds her.

"I'm writing about colors for bridesmaid's dresses right now. I want them wearing dark green with gold sashes and you and the groomsmen in gold tuxes with green ties. Only your tie will be white." She says.

"Sounds good. I will need three groomsmen obviously, with Sirius as Best Man." He tells her.

"Obviously." She agrees.

"So that is Mary and Beth for you and who else? Will you ask Petunia?" He asks skeptically.

"I know it sounds crazy, but she is my sister. I want her at our wedding." She says. He nods.

"I understand. She'll come around." He says smiling.

"Petunia will be my Matron of Honor, if she shows, if not Mary will be Maid of Honor. And I don't know, maybe I will ask Tilly to step in as the third bridesmaid."

James chuckles at her joke. "I'm sure you will figure it out." He assures her.

"I have narrowed it down to these few places as to where we could have the actual wedding, here tell me what you think." She says handing him the brochures. She watches his reactions closely as he leafs through the stack.

"Why are you so interested in this?" She asks him. "Aren't grooms supposed to be passive and just agree to whatever the bride and the mother's decide?" She says with a smirk. James turns to face her setting down the brochures.

"Lily, this day will mark the beginning of our life together. I want it to represent us, not our mums and what they think a wedding should be. I want to do it our way."

"I like that." Lily says and leans in to give him a quick peck. "Can I run an idea by you then?" She asks him.

"Of course." He tells her.

"Ok, well I know it sounds silly, but when I used to picture us getting married we were –"

"You used to picture our wedding?" James cuts her off smirking.

"Every little girl pictures her wedding day." She tells him exasperatedly.

"But you said when you used to picture _us_ getting married, not when you used to picture getting married." He says teasingly.

"Can I finish please?" James motions for her to continue with her idea, still grinning like a madman.

"Like I was saying, I always imagined that we'd get married outdoors. I think we should have to be a summer wedding." She says.

"That's a great idea. I would love to get married outside." He tells her.

"What about in your back garden?" Lily asks looking up at him, hoping she didn't sound crazy. "In the gazebo." She adds.

The picture had been forming in her mind for months. She and James, standing in the white gazebo, white lilies hanging from all the railings, James in a gold tux, her in a white dress, it was so beautiful to her, fit them so perfect. She wonders if he would like it.

James grins at her again. "I think that is an absolutely brilliant idea Lily."

"Really? You do?"

"Of course! I can't believe I didn't think of it." He says. "There is no better place for us to get married than the place we had our first kiss, our first date, and the place where I proposed. I love it." He tells her.

Lily lunges at him wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. James smiles and wraps his arms around her. She pulls back and gives him a deep kiss. "I love you." She tells him.

"Well that's good, because you'll be my wife soon." He tells her and she laughs.

She sits back in her chair properly again and pulls the letter to her. "Well, now that we got the basics out-of-the-way, the rest should be really easy to do." She tells him taking all the stacks of brochures and throwing them into the bin.

"Are you sure we'll have enough time?" James asks concernedly.

"What do you mean?" She asks confused. They had over a year to plan everything else. "You want to get married this summer?" She asks, his words sinking in. She had been expecting him to want a long engagement so as not to feel rushed.

"Why not?" He asks shrugging. "We want a summer wedding, it's nearly summertime. Do you not want to get married so quickly?" He asks, looking mortified.

She thinks back to James' mum's letter from this morning. She said that no one liked a long engagement. Then she remembers Dumbledore's warning from earlier that evening. He had told them not to wait too long, that the Death Eaters would be looking for any way to stop them getting married. "No, I want to marry you as soon as possible." She tells him and his face relaxes.

"Are you sure? We can have a long engagement if you want." He tells her. She shakes her head.

"No, I don't want to wait too long." She looks up into his eyes. "It's just, soon we'll be out there fighting and I don't want something to happen to either one of us before I ever get to know what it feels like to be Lily Potter." She tells him and he seems to swell with pride at her words.

"Lily Potter." He repeats. "I like that… a lot." He says leaning down and kissing her again.

When they break apart he nods over to her letter. "Are you going to be finishing that anytime soon, or can we head to bed. I'm beat." He tells her. She smiles at him.

"I'm almost done, I just have to add the bit about what we just talked about, but you can go on up to bed. I'm sorry I wore you out last night."

"It's quite alright. You can wear me out like that every night." He says in a husky voice. She smiles but shakes her head.

"Go up to bed, James. I'll see you in the morning."

"You're not coming with me?" He asks in a pouty voice that she makes her smile.

"No, I told you I want to spend this last week in the dorm with Mary and Beth, besides, it's inappropriate for the groom to sleep with the bride before the wedding night." She tells him.

James looks taken aback. "What?"

"You heard me. No sex until after the wedding." She almost laughs at his shocked expression.

"But, last night –"

"Last night was a celebration."

"Can we celebrate again tonight?" He asks with a smirk.

"No, tonight isn't a special occasion, James."

He looks sulky. "So, the wedding is tomorrow, right?"

Lily laughs. "It's not that bad!"

"If you say so, but honestly I think you'll break first."

"Is that so?" She asks, almost challenges.

"It is." He leans forward again and kisses her deeply before placing a peck on her ear. "Night love, dream dirty things about me." He whispers before heading up to his dormitory.

* * *

**A/N – Well, I hope you like it :-) **

**Thought and feedback and lovely reviews are always appreciated. **


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N – This chapter is the end of the Marauders and Lily's schooling. No more Hogwarts. **** Well… I won't say that for certain, but it definitely is the last chapter of them attending Hogwarts as students.**

**Also, incase you've forgotten:  
**_Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Notes and Letters will be in bold.**

* * *

Lily wakes the next morning and rolls over, wishing to go back into the dream she was having. James had gotten his wish and she had indeed been dreaming _very_ naughty things about him. At the thought of what he had been doing to her moments before she woke, she wants to run up to his dormitory right then. _This is ridiculous! _She tells herself. _We went nearly eighteen years without having sex. We can wait a few short weeks._

"I'm surprised that you stayed in here." Beth says as Lily gets out of bed and starts getting ready for the day.

"Why?"

"We thought you'd be staying up in James' dorm every night now that you're engaged and all." Mary says pulling her curtains back.

"It's our last week. I want to spend it with you guys. Besides, the bride shouldn't sleep with the groom until the wedding night."

Mary snorts. "A little late for that, don't you think?"

"You know what I mean!" Lily counters.

When all three girls are ready they head down to the common room together to see James waiting with Sirius. "Morning, love." He says and gives her a kiss on the forehead.

"Morning." She says taking his hand and they walk down to the Great Hall.

After breakfast she, James, Sirius and Remus walk down to the dungeons for their second to last Potions lesson. Lily is slightly nervous. This will be the first time they're in close proximity to any of the Slytherins since the engagement. She takes her seat next to James at their usual table and tries to ignore her classmate's stares. Especially a certain greasy haired boy, whose eyes are digging holes in the side of her head.

"Did you hear the blood traitor is marrying the Mudblood?" Mulciber says loud enough for them to hear.

Lily pretends like she can't hear them and places a hand on James' arm to keep him in his seat. She looks up and sees that Sirius and Remus have both half risen. "Sit down, they aren't worth it." She tells them.

"Oh look, the Mudblood's got control over all _The_ _Marauders_. Wonder if she uses a spell on them." Rosier laughs.

Lily can feel James shaking with rage next to her but she just moves her hand to his knee, giving him a warning look. Sirius opens his mouth to retort but Slughorn enters the dungeon then.

"Good Morning class. Welcome to your penultimate Potions lesson! I know you're all just as sad as I am that you're leaving. So, I think that we should brew some Pepperup Potions today. Now I know you are all thinking that this is severely below your level, but Madam Pomfrey informed me that she's running low, and I thought we could help her out."

"More like you didn't want to do it yourself so you're making us." Sirius corrects under his breath.

Lily laughs. "I'm going to miss him using everyone for his own gain." James says and chuckles.

"Me too." Remus agrees.

Lily lets James go and collect their cauldrons and she begins to set up the ingredients at their table. She hears Slughorn laughing jovially and she looks up.

"James, my boy, I hear good things are in store for Hogwarts most notorious couple." He says and she sees James smile at the term. "Better get used to all this work. Once you're married, you'll be her slave." He tells James wisely.

James chuckles. "That doesn't seem so bad, Sir." He says and Lily knows his mind has gone to a dirty place.

"Ah, well, I must admit I'm not surprised. I've always thought you two would end up together. Congratulations."

Lily smiles as James thanks their professor. She's determinately not looking in Snape's direction, but can still feel his eyes on her.

James kisses her forehead when he returns to their table. "I'm excited that everyone, well everyone important, seems to be happy for us." She tells him and he grins down at her.

"Me too. It's good to know that I wasn't the only one who thought that we were destined for each other." He tells her and she pushes him playfully.

At the end of the lesson Lily bottles up her correctly brewed potion into small vials and James carries them up to Slughorn's desk for her. She hears Sirius snicker loudly and she looks up to see James and Sirius face to face with Snape and Avery. Remus too looks round.

"Don't worry, Lily. They aren't dim enough to start a fight in the middle of a classroom." He assures her under his breath.

"I'm more worried about what will happen when they turn around to head back to the table." She admits. _Snape never plays fair and James always does. _But as she thinks this she watches James and Sirius back away from their foes slowly.

"Never turn your back on your enemy. It's rule number one in a war. James learned that the hard way last year." Remus tells her as James and Sirius sit back down.

"Well, no one really thought Selwyn was a real enemy, did we?" Sirius says. Lily blushes at this, still feeling for guilty for James getting hurt over a year ago.

"I did." James says bitterly.

"So, what did they say?" Lily asks a tad too casually.

"Just more of what they were saying earlier." Sirius shrugs.

"Well I'm proud of you both for walking away." She tells them.

The bell rings then and the four of them make their way up to the Great Hall for lunch.

Oscar floats down to them while they are eating and Lily smiles knowing it will be her mother's reply. "Aren't you going to open it?" James asks her.

"No, I don't want to be distracted in Charms. I'll open it at dinner." She tells him and he nods.

Lily's worried about going to Charms and seeing her favorite professor. She wonders how he'll feel about her getting married so young. He's always been so supportive of her ambition to be a Healer. He wrote such a wonder letter of recommendation explaining how responsible and independent she is. She wonders if he still feels that way knowing that she has rescinded her application and is now getting married.

Lily and James sit at their usual table and listen to Flitwick tell them how very proud he's of each one of them. "You may use this lesson to ask me anything that you have not asked in the last seven years." He smiles around at them and almost everyone begins to talk, breaking off into groups.

"Ah, Lily and James." Flitwick says coming over to their desk. "I was so excited to hear your news."

"Thank you, Professor." James says, smiling down at him.

"I'm particularly proud of both of you. You both are so talented. It just makes sense that you came together. Do you know I made a bet with Professor Sprout back in your fourth year that the two of you would end up getting married. I can't wait to collect my twenty galleons." Lily and James laugh as the tiny professor walks away from them.

"Was I the only one who didn't know how perfect we are for each other?" Lily asks James and he smirks.

"Looks like it."

She chuckles and then links hands with her future husband. "Well, at least I know now."

"Hey James, I just wanted to say it was fun trying to outscore you, even though you beat me every time." Alexander Jones, Ravenclaw's top Chaser says, coming over to talk to James.

"Thanks Alex. You gave me a run for my money a few times at least." Lily tunes the boys out as they reminisce over their Quidditch matches together and she looks around the room.

Prim catches her eye and waves. Lily smiles as she and Annie make their way over to her and James' table.

"Alright, well, congratulations to both of you. I hope to see you around." Alex says waving as he walks back to his table.

"I don't think I ever heard him speak before today." Lily tells James and he chuckles.

"He doesn't say much, but he's a good guy." James assures her.

"Congratulations!" Annie says when she reaches their table.

"I'm so excited for you." Prim adds.

"Let's see the ring." Annie gushes.

Lily holds out her hand for them and they squeal delightedly.

"Oh James, it's perfect. How did you pick it out?" Annie asks.

"It was fate." He tells them wisely and Lily chuckles at him.

"Will you give Albert some pointers on how to pick out jewelry, James?" Prim asks and Lily laughs again at his expression.

"Is that how I'm known now, the bloke who is good at picking out jewelry?"

The girls laugh at him but then move on to Beth and Mary's table. "You can go chat with them if you'd like." James tells her.

Lily smiles wide and kisses him on the cheek and follows them over and spends the rest of the lesson gossiping with her friends. It's sad for her to think that this might be one of the last times that the five of them are together. When the bell rings Lily heads back over to James and grabs his hand.

"You alright, love?" He asks her.

"Yes. Just sad is all." He nods and kisses her temple before walking her down to the Great Hall.

During dinner Lily pulls out the letter from her mother and smiles at the name on the envelope.

**To the future Mrs. James Potter**

"Look at this." Lily says, showing it to James. He grins widely at it.

"I like that too." He whispers in her ear.

"Me too." She agrees and opens up the letter.

**Lily,**

**I'm over at Martha's house right now and we received your letter. We think it is a wonderful idea for the two of you to get married in the gazebo. We also think it's smashing that you want to get married this summer.**

**We looked at our schedules and found the perfect day. How does July eighth sound? It's a Saturday and it better sound good because we have already hand written about fifty invitations. All that we really need from you and James is a guest list. Is there any of your old friends you would like to invite. I believe I still have all their addresses.**

**I rang Petunia last night to tell her you want her to be your matron of honor, she wrote something up for you. I told her I wouldn't read it, just pass it along. Martha took me to the wizarding Post Office today so I could send it off to you. It's amazing in there, all sorts of different owls.**

**Well, anyway, make sure to get us your guest list as soon as possible.**

**Love,**

**Mum**

Lily looks at the letter astonished. _July eighth. That's less than a month away. _Lily turns to James and smiles. _I hope he remembers that he suggested getting married this summer._

"What do you think of July eighth?" She asks him.

He seems confused for a second and then he smiles. "I think it sounds like the perfect day to marry you."

Lily smiles, glad he understood. "Good because our mums have already made out the invitations." She says handing him the letter.

"This July?" Mary asks stunned.

"Yes, we didn't want a long engagement and we wanted to get married in the summer, so it just seems right to do it now." She says and James nods.

"Fifty? How many people are they planning to invite?" James asks staring at the letter. Lily laughs.

"Let's go up to the common room and put together our guest list before patrol." James nods and she leads him up to Gryffindor Tower.

She pulls out a new scroll and the quill he had bought her. She writes down all five of their friends names. She then writes down Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Slughorn, she follows that with Prim and Annie then the Gryffindor Quidditch team, all with a plus one.

"This isn't going to be the small wedding I was hoping for will it?" James asks staring at the growing list of names.

"Well, not all these people will be invited to the actual wedding, just the reception. The wedding will be the small garden wedding we want. Everyone else will come later." She explains to him.

"That sounds good then."

After adding a few more of their Hogwarts friends, Hagrid, Madam Rosmerta, Madam Pomfrey, and Remus' dad Lily sets down her quill. "Should we put Peter's mum on the list?" She asks James.

"Nah, she doesn't like me much and Wormy won't have any fun if she's there." He says.

"Alright, then I think we're done."

"You don't want to invite any one from the Muggle world?" James asks her and she shakes her head.

"I was thinking about that last night. I want have all the wizarding traditions at our wedding, just like the Muggle ones, and if I invite Muggles we can't have that. Besides I didn't have many friends when I was a kid and the ones I did, I wouldn't want to invite."

James nods. "So, just your mum, dad and Petunia from the Muggle world?"

"Don't forget Vernon." Lily says and James makes a face.

"I was hoping you'd forget about him." He says and Lily laughs. "What about your uncle from the States? His family will be invited, right?"

Lily rarely ever thinks about her extended family, not that she has much. Her mother's brother married a woman from America and they moved shortly after Lily was born. She's seen pictures over the years, but has never seen any of them in person before. They live in Ohio and, as far as Lily knows, are alive and well. From the sound of his phone calls and letters Ohio is a dreadfully boring place so she's never had any inclination to visit.

"I'm sure my mum will invite them, but I doubt they'll come, especially on such short notice. Petunia's wedding was planned months and months in advance and they didn't even come to hers."

James nods. "Well, then I don't see why we can't have all the wizarding traditions you want along with the Muggle ones."

Lily beams at him. "You're the best husband-to-be a girl could ask for." She tells him. James gives her a kiss before returning to the letter.

"I'm just telling them about our small wedding idea with the large reception afterwards. I think my mum will like that, this way she can invite all she wants of her friends." Lily smiles as he seals the letter and sits back in his chair.

"You want me to send this right now, don't you?" He asks looking over to see her staring at the scroll.

"It's just, the quicker we get it to them, the sooner we'll get a response."

James chuckles and picks up the letter. "I'll be back." He tells her and she watches him leave the common room.

_He really is the perfect man._

* * *

James returns from the Owlery nearly a half hour later. He spots Lily sitting on a secluded couch in the corner flipping through a magazine, he walks over and plops himself down next to her.

"I sent it with Oscar, should be delivered to your mum by the morning." He tells her.

"Thank you." She says and she gives him a kiss.

"What have you got there?" He asks pointing to the magazine.

"I'm looking for bridesmaids dresses. What do you think of these?" She asks him pointing to a picture.

This really isn't James' area of expertise. "Those look lovely." He says. She smiles at him.

"I think these are the ones I'll try to get. Only they'll be green and this sash here will be champagne colored, like the tuxes." James just nods and smiles and agrees with her. "Are you alright with wearing a champagne colored tux? I just think black will be too hot in the summer." She explains.

"As long as I don't have to wear pink, I'm fine." He tells her with a smile. He truly could care less what he's wearing when they get married, but he knows it matters to her, so he lets her continue to gush over all the details.

Thankfully Mary and Sirius come over and join them. Sirius pulls James into a game of chess while Mary exclaims over Lily's decisions the way only a woman could.

"Women." Sirius scoffs and James chuckles. "Speaking of women, I have a hot date."

"How can you have a date?" Lily asks looking at James' watch. "It's nearly 10:30." She tells him.

Sirius just stands and wriggles his eyebrows at her and grabs Mary's hand, dragging her from the common room.

"Do you think we should try and stop them? It's after curfew." Lily says looking concerned.

"Nah, it won't do any good, besides it'd be a little hypocritical of us to say that they shouldn't be sneaking out after curfew." He reminds her.

"Good point." She says and then looks down. "I want to choose the flower arrangements next, but that magazine is still up in my dormitory. Wait right here." She tells him and James laughs and leans back against the couch again.

A tap comes at the window next to James' head and he gets up to let the tiny owl in. "Who are you after?" James asks as it drops a letter at his feet, giving him a small nip and flying right back out the window. James picks up the small envelope and smiles at the address line.

**This is for Lily and that dreadful man.**

James sits back down on the couch waiting for Lily. He'll let her open the letter from her sister. When Lily reappears in the common room it's just in time for them to patrol. "We better get going. I couldn't find the magazine I wanted. I think I let Beth borrow it."

When they're out in the corridor James hands her the letter. "This came for us when you were up in your dorm." He tells her.

She flips the envelope over curiously and snorts. "Dreadful. HA! She's so backwards."

James chuckles and watches her face as she opens the letter and reads. Her lips seem to get thinner and thinner the further down she goes and he can see tears in her eyes.

"Lily? Are you ok?" He asks her. She just hands him the page and starts to cry. James tucks the paper into his robes and wraps his arms around her.

"Well, at least she'll be coming to the wedding. But only because my mum is making her, she refuses to be in it." She tells him. James isn't the least bit surprised by this. Petunia and her husband hate him and what he is, what Lily is.

Lily just glares out the window as James strokes her hair gently. "She has a lot of nerve saying that we shouldn't get married. Who does she think she is?" She rants. James pulls back from her and cups her face in his hands.

"Lily, I don't care what Petunia and her arse of a husband think. We are perfect for each other and whether your sister approves or not, I _will_ marry you on the eighth of July."

Lily smiles at him. "I know. You're right of course. I don't know why her words affect me so much." She says and James wipes a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"It's because she's your sister, love." She just nods and he pulls her into his chest and stokes her hair again.

He hates seeing her like this. It breaks his heart a little bit to know that there is nothing he can do. _I've had enough of Petunia's prejudices. I will not let her make Lily cry like this again. She needs to be told that this attitude will not be tolerated any longer. _James can understand that Lily's parents can't choose sides in this feud and how they can't tell Petunia to stop acting like a child. They can't, but James can.

"How about after we finish patrolling we go down and get some hot chocolate?" He suggests and he feels Lily nod into his chest.

"That sounds good." She says. James conjures a hanky from thin air and hands it to her. He wraps his arm around her waist and leads her down the corridor.

James is formulating a plot in his head as they walk. Technically Petunia had addressed the letter to him as well, so he's just being courteous by replying. Although, he knows his words will be far from courteous.

Once they are finished with their hot chocolate James walks Lily back to the common room and kisses her good night at the bottom of the girl's staircase. He waits until he can no longer hear her feet climbing the stairs until he pulls out Petunia's letter to read it.

**Dear Lily,**

It begins, no mention of James.

**Mum called to tell me that you are engaged. I was initially very excited for you before I realized that it would be to that messy, impertinent lay-about that you brought to dinner over Easter. I must confess that I am not at all pleased by this decision.**

**Vernon and I will attend your wedding, not because we give our blessing, but because mum has threatened to write us out of the will if we don't come. I refuse to be a party to this travesty and will not be the Matron of Honor to something I disapprove of so deeply.**

**Not only do I condemn this engagement but I urge you to reconsider it. That boy can't give you the happy normal life that you deserve. I****t occurred to me last night that he may have you in some sort of trance. If he does Lily, it's not real. You don't have to marry him.**

**You need to give up these freak games you are playing and come back home. You are more than welcome to stay with Vernon and I until you are back on your feet. We can even set you up with his newest client. He is quite good-looking and very successful, and I can't stress this enough, ****normal****.**

**I am hoping that you will think hard over my words and not go through with what I am sure will be the biggest mistake of your life.**

**Cordially,**

**Mrs. Vernon Dursley**

James can hardly read the signature because the paper is moving so violently. He realizes then that he is shaking with anger. He's glad that he hadn't read this in front of Lily because he's furious. _How dare she?_ James' mind is in a blind fury as he takes a blank piece of parchment from the table in front of him. He dips his quill in ink and starts to write.

**Dear Petunia,**

**I'm sorry to inform you that I don't have Lily under and sort of spell that makes her want to marry me, unless you think that true love counts, for it is more magical of a feeling than any wand could give me.**

**I have tried for a long time to understand why you hate me, Petunia. Why you hate what Lily and I are so desperately. Then it occurred to me. You don't have a problem with me at all. You have a problem with jealously.**

**You've never been able to accept the fact that Lily is spectacular and extraordinarily special. And it just kills you that she found her true soul mate when you had to settle for someone who is about as exciting as a slug. I may not understand why you have held this grudge for so many years Petunia, but at least I finally understand where the true anger is coming from.**

**Despite all of your hurtful words and petty attitude Lily still wants you to be her Matron of Honor. Personally I don't feel like you even deserve an invitation for the way you've treated her, but that is just one of the millions of things I love about Lily. She's forgiving.**

**So, if you could stop being a jealous bitch for five seconds and talk your pompous arse of a husband around, you'll see how wrong you've been and will come stand by your sister's side on the happiest day of our lives.**

**Cordially,**

**James Potter, your soon-to-be brother-in-law**

James sits back and rereads his letter. He had been harsh and rather hurtful but he doesn't care. She deserves it for all the pain she's put Lily through and he's actually quite hurt that she tried her hardest to convince Lily to ditch him.

James folds up the letter and put it in his robes and heads to bed. He will send it out tomorrow morning.

-L-3-J-

James walks down to breakfast with Remus the next morning. He knows he couldn't wait for Lily or he'd miss the post owls. When they are seated James pulls out the letter and addresses it to: **Petunia Dursley and her boring, power-hungry husband**.

"A letter to Lily's sister? What on earth for?" Remus asks looking at the envelope confused.

"She wrote Lily a rather rude letter last night and I just wanted to write back and put her in her place." James says, reaching for the pumpkin juice.

"Does Lily know you wrote that letter?" Remus asks as two owls descend upon them. One of them drops the Daily Prophet in front of James and the other is Hamlet. James unties the letter from his mother quickly and replaces it with his letter to Petunia.

"No and she doesn't need to either. This is between Petunia and I now." James says.

Remus just shakes his head as he opens James' paper.

"Morning." Lily says, kissing his cheek and taking the seat next to him.

James smiles at her. "Morning, love."

"Who's that from?" She asks pointing to the scroll next to his plate.

"Oh. My mum, it's probably for you. I didn't look at it yet." He tells her and hands her the scroll.

"Ah, she found the flower shop I wanted." Lily says happily as she reads the letter. "And she says my mum found the perfect dress store in London. She made an appointment for us next Monday."

"Us?" James asks confused. "I thought I wasn't allowed to see you in the dress before the wedding." He asks.

"Not you and I, us. Mary, Beth, our mums and I, us." She explains.

"Right." He says returning to his breakfast.

"So, I suppose there is nothing left for us to do." Lily smiles.

"Not at the moment."

-L-3-J-

The next few days pass in a blur. Before James knows it, he is hugging his mother out front of Hogsmeade Station as she congratulates him on graduating. He gives Mrs. Evans a hug next and then shakes hands with Mr. Evans.

"Congratulations Lily!" He hears his mother saying as she pulls her into a hug.

"Thank you so much." Lily says. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh I am fine dear, nothing to worry about here. I am just so proud of all three of you." His mother says pulling him, Sirius and Lily into a large, many armed hug.

The scarlet steam engine blows its whistle to let them know it is time to board the train for the last time. James grabs ahold of Lily's hand. They call goodbyes to their parents promising to see them soon. James' mother planned a large graduation party at Potter Manor for all of James' friends and their families.

He boards the train with Lily and his friends and the seven of them make themselves comfortable in The Marauder Compartment.

"We should commemorate this somehow." Sirius says. Standing up and taking his wand out. "May this compartment be forever knows as The Marauder Compartment to generations to come." He says and carves the word **Marauders** into the inside of the door.

"Should we dock him points for vandalism?" James asks Lily teasingly. She smiles back at him.

"Nah, it's only fair that The Marauders go down in history."

The others laugh and Sirius steps back to admire his work. Remus holds up a large flask.

"To my fellow Gryffindor's. You six have been more like family to me than most of my family. I'll miss seeing you all everyday more than I can ever say." He says and takes a swig before passing the flask onto Beth who is sitting on his left. She takes a swig and passes it on.

They all take a drink from the flask, toasting each other, toasting their friendship, toasting the last day of this chapter in their lives.

"I say we keep in touch after this is all said and done." Mary says. "I mean I know we'll all be seeing a lot of each other until after the wedding, but I mean after that. I don't want to lose touch with you guys." She explains.

"Me either." Lily agrees.

They decide on doing weekly teas, each of them taking turns to host it at their own flats. They spend the rest of the journey laughing and joking about all their memories over the years. When the train pulls to a stop and the conductor is heard announcing that they have arrived James looks over at Lily to see tears in her eyes. He pulls her close and smiles.

"I can't believe it's really over." She whispers into his chest.

"It'll be all right, love. You'll see." He says soothingly.

"Besides just think, we won't ever have to take another of Sluggy's exams ever again." Sirius says happily. Lily chuckles.

"I'll see you all at the Potter's in a few hours?" Lily asks as she hugs her friends once more.

"Course." Mary says happily and she and Beth leave the train together.

"We're heading over right now, Lily, so please stop crying!" Peter says exasperatedly.

James smacks him on the back of the head and he leads the way off the train so they can disapparate the Potter Manor.

-L-3-J-

The party lasts late into the night, but is a very enjoyable affair.

Beth and Barry arrived with her family. Her older brother and his wife chatting merrily in the corner with friends and her little brother constantly hounding James for Quidditch tips.

Mary's parents spent most of the night with James' and Lily's parents, laughing the night away while sip down several bottles of brandy.

Halfway through the evening Remus' father disappears with Peter's mother an neither are seen for several hours.

James and Sirius begin to tease the boys about what their parents are doing in a guest room upstairs. Eventually Lily has to break them up, much to Mary's displeasure as she was betting on who would be the winner if it came to using wands.

When Enid Pettigrew and John Lupin return to the party both are distantly ruffled and rather pleased looking. Peter's mum comes over and drags him away, saying they simply must get home.

Peter shoots a very rude hand gesture over his shoulder at Sirius and James who are still laughing riotously at the fact that Peter's mum had just been shagged by Remus' dad.

"Well, I suppose we should send her invitation now." Lily says pensively. This statement causes James and Sirius to go into another fit of laughter.

* * *

**A/N – I just want to say sorry to any Ohioans out there who are upset with me saying it's a dreadfully boring place. But you have to admit, to a witch living in a large castle about to marry James Potter, it would sound dreadfully boring to you as well. :-)**

**Thoughts and feedback and lovely reviews are always appreciated. **


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N – **_**I'm back**_** :-) Please excuse my vacation. Needed some extra time around the holidays, but I am back and you can expect regular updates again! Yay!**

**Just to recap: Right now, it's all about the wedding! :-)**

**Also, in case you've forgotten:  
**_Thoughts will be in italics.  
_**Notes and Letters will be in bold.**

* * *

Monday morning Lily wakes to an owl hooting loudly as it perches itself on her bed post.

"Morning, Hamlet." Lily says smiling at the owl as he ruffles his feathers in an uncanny impersonation of his owner.

She takes her letter and Hamlet goes to join Oscar on his perch. Not even getting out of bed Lily unfolds her letter from James with a smile.

**Lily,**

**Good morning, love. Hope Hamlet didn't wake you. I instructed him to let you sleep, but you know how impatient he can be.**

**I know it's only been a day since I've last seen you, but I miss you. I can't wait until I never have to go another day without seeing your beautiful face.**

**Our mums have instructed me, Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail and your dad to go to a tuxedo shop in Muggle London this morning. We have to get fitted. I was hoping we could meet for lunch afterwards?**

**I love you,**

**James**

Lily smiles at his words. She rolls over and snuggles into her pillow, wishing it were James. She misses him more than she thought would be possible, which is ridiculous since she just saw him yesterday morning before leaving Potter Manor.

She gets up out of bed and heads over to her desk to send James a quick reply, telling him that she will meet him for lunch after his fitting and that she misses him and loves him. She ties the reply to Hamlet's leg and watches him fly away before going to get ready for the day.

When she appears in the kitchen it's to find her mum and Mrs. Potter sitting at the table drinking coffee. "Morning." She greets them before grabbing a cup for herself.

"Morning, Lily dear." James' mother says, beaming at her.

"Morning, Lily-Belle. Your dad has already left. He was meeting James in Muggle London for breakfast." Her mum explains.

Lily nods as she butters herself a piece of toast. She is excited to get the day moving, but also extremely nervous. _What if I can't find a dress? What will happen if Mary and Beth don't like the dress I picked for them? What if they don't come in the color of green I want? _

"Lily, don't fret." Her mum says patting her arm. "I am sure everything will be just fine."

"Yes dear, don't worry."

Lily voices her concerns to them. "And then, what if no one gets it? What if everyone is wondering why James and the others are in tuxes and not dress robes?" She asks James' mum more than her own.

"Lily, no one will care. Sure, it's not the traditional wizarding way, but they will understand. I personally love the idea and I promise that if someone feels differently, they will not voice their opinion on your special day." Mrs. Potter assures her.

"And as far as the dresses go, they will love their bridesmaid dresses. From the picture you showed me, they are lovely."

"If they don't come in the right color, don't worry. You forget, we're witches, we can change them to be the color you want." Mrs. Potter reminds her.

Lily lets out a sigh of relief. _How did I not think of that?_ It seems silly now, all her worries. She shouldn't be stressing herself out over these little things. She has magic on her side. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Thank you."

While they are eating and discussing flower arrangements, the front door opens and shuts and a very familiar stomping comes down the hall towards the kitchen. Lily looks up, unable to believe her ears.

"Mum, I'm here to try on the freak's dress, just like you said. I don't know – oh." Petunia stops herself when she enters the kitchen to see Lily and Mrs. Potter seated at the table with her mother.

"Petunia dear, as you can see Lily is back from school, you wouldn't return my calls about coming with us to her graduation, but she arrived back on Saturday."

"And who's she?" Petunia asks, rather rudely, nodding to Mrs. Potter.

"Petunia, this is James' mother, Martha." Lily tells her, mentally pleading her not to insult her soon-to-be mother-in-law.

Petunia just stares at the woman, looking as if she didn't know how to react. "And is she a… you know… like you?" Petunia asks in a stage whisper.

"A witch?" Lily asks, unable to stop herself. "Yes, she is."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Petunia, I have heard so much about you." Mrs. Potter says.

Petunia doesn't respond to her, just takes a seat on one of the bar stool on the opposite side of the kitchen. Perhaps Petunia found it rude that Mrs. Potter didn't stand to greet her, but she is really in no place to judge. Mrs. Potter is elderly and very sick, though she does not show it. Lily is sure that for her to be using all this energy for planning the wedding is taking a toll on her. Petunia, however, has no excuse for her rudeness. Mrs. Potter's words were at least kind, Petunia spoke no words to her at all.

"Petunia, what are you doing here?" Lily asks bluntly.

Petunia eyes her warily as if confused by her question. "Mum said we are getting fitted for our dresses today. She told me I had to come today or else there wouldn't be time before the wedding."

Lily looks back at her mum completely confused now. Petunia had said she didn't want to be her Matron of Honor. Said that she thought that Lily's decision to marry James was a mistake and she couldn't be party to it. Yet, here she is, waiting to get fitted for her dress. It makes no sense.

"Lily, I thought I had mentioned it to you, I'm sorry." Her mum begins. "Tuney has decided that she _will_ be your Matron of Honor. Isn't that wonderful?"

Lily looks round at her mother, then back to Petunia. _What changed her mind? Why now? Did mum threaten her further?_

"You will?" Lily asks looking directly at her sister.

Petunia doesn't respond, just gives a curt nod.

"Well that's wonderful. I didn't quite know what to make of Sirius saying he was both the Best Man and the Maid of Honor. Not sure how people would have reacted to seeing him in a dress." Mrs. Potter says with a slight chuckle.

Lily and her mum laugh at this. Leave it to James' mum to break the tension in the room. Plus, the look on Petunia's face at the mere idea of a man wearing a dress sent Lily into a fit of laughter.

-J-3-L-

When they arrive at the Muggle dress shop in London Lily is immediately swept away by Mary and Beth to go look at wedding dresses.

"Mary, Beth, your dresses are ready for you in the changing rooms if you want to head over there. I will keep searching with Lily." Her mum says coming over to her.

Once Lily is certain they are alone, she turns to mum. "So, why is Petunia really here?"

"It seems James' words had a stronger effect on her than anything I've ever said to her. Your father and I were at her house for dinner when she got the letter. Hamlet wouldn't let anyone else but her open it. When she finally did, she looked furious and locked herself in her and Vernon's bedroom. But that night she rang to tell me that she has decided to be your Matron of Honor but she doesn't want to be any more involved than she has to. Didn't you know he wrote her?"

Lily stakes her head at her mother in shock. _James wrote Petunia?_

"I thought the letter was from you at first, but it wasn't your handwriting on the envelope." Her mum continues to explain. "Well, whatever he said it worked. She's here."

Lily nods mutely, still in a slight daze. James had written her sister, saying Merlin knows what, and convinced her to be a part of their wedding. _How did I get so lucky to find such a perfect man?_

"Come on, let's get you a wedding dress!" Her mum says excitedly.

After nearly an hour of looking through all the dresses in the shop Mrs. Potter calls to Lily from the second floor of the shop. Lily makes her way up stairs looking resigned that she may not find her perfect dress. She walks into the small room and seems Mrs. Potter beaming ridiculously.

"I already had them take it into the changing room for you darling. It's your size and everything." She says looking excited.

Lily nods and pulls back the curtain and gasps. The dress in front of her is the exact image she has had in her head since she started imagining her and James' wedding. The floor length, strapless, slim, A-line gown with corset closure had the satin champaign colored ribbon she had been hoping for.*****

"It's perfect." Lily whispers to herself and hurriedly closes the curtains around her, eager to try on her dream dress.

Lily steps out of the dressing room to see Mary, Beth, Petunia, Mrs. Potter and her mum all waiting for her. She steps up onto the platform to admire the dress in the many mirrors as her closest female friends and relatives sing its praises. Petunia even admits that the dress is perfect for her.

"It will need hemmed, but that isn't an issue. The dress is beautiful darling. Just beautiful." Her mum says admiring Lily with tears in her eyes.

"I agree mum, I love it so much. This is the dress."

Mrs. Potter smiles. "Wonderful darling, why don't you get changed and meet us back downstairs?"

The morning seemed to go by in a rush then. Luckily the dress shop had everyone's sizes for the bridesmaid's dresses and both Mrs. Potter and her mum found dresses for themselves. The color of the bridesmaid's dresses was slightly off but James' mum promised her she would fix them the moment she got home.

It was just barely one o'clock when they left the dress shop. Petunia immediately headed home, saying she had been exposed enough for one day, but the rest of them went down the road a little ways where they would meet the men for lunch.

"Afternoon love, did you find a dress?" James asks as Lily slips into the seat next to him.

"I did, and it's perfect. But don't you dare ask for details." She threatens him.

He smirks at her and leans in for a kiss before the waitress comes over to take their orders.

-J-3-L-

The large group of eleven disbands after lunch and James and Lily decide to go for a walk instead of heading home right away.

"So, Petunia has decided to be my Matron of Honor." Lily says, watching for his reaction.

"Has she really?" James asks, looking genuinely shocked.

"Yes, apparently someone wrote her a letter that changed her mind."

James turns to her, a guilty expression on his face. "I'm really sorry, Lily. I know I got a bit carried away, but she needed to hear that stuff. I'm not sorry I sent that letter, but I am sorry I didn't tell you about it."

She just smiles at him. "It's alright, James. I'm not mad. I'm actually really impressed and very grateful. I do wish I knew what that letter said though." She says nudging him softly.

"She didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't even tell me you wrote to her. My mum was at her house when Hamlet arrived, otherwise we would have thought she changed her mind on her own."

James wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close to him. "We have more important matters to discuss." He whispers in her ear.

"Oh really? And what matters might these be?"

"Well, for one, figuring out where we want to go on our honeymoon." He says and smirks.

"I thought Dumbledore wanted us to start at The Order right after the wedding." She says. "We won't have time for a honeymoon."

"I talked to him yesterday and he agrees that we need two days for a holiday before we start."

"We get a honeymoon?" Lily asks excitedly, thinking of all the places she and James could go on holiday.

"Whatever you want, wherever you want." James promises.

Lily smiles as she thinks about that. "We could go to Paris, I've never been to Paris."

"We could."

"Or Germany, or Belgium." Lily says and the turns quickly in his arms to look at him. "Or Egypt! I've always wanted to go to Egypt."

James chuckles. "We don't have to decide now. I just need to know by Friday, that way I can arrange transportation and lodging." He tells her, nuzzling her neck.

"I promise I'll decide by Friday." Lily declares, her mind still weeding through all the possibilities.

"Good. Now onto the second important matter we must discuss today."

"And what is that?" Lily asks.

"We have an appointment in about twenty minutes with Ester Crippo."

"Who is Ester Crippo?"

"Ester Crippo is the wizarding world's most sought after real estate agent."

"Real estate agent?" Lily asks confused, unsure of why they'd be meeting with a real estate agent. "I thought that we were moving into the Manor after the wedding."

James shakes his head. "Technically the Manor does belong to me now, as the head of the Potter family. But, I could never kick my mother out of her home. Especially because she would be forced to live at the beach house in France and you know how she detests France."

"We wouldn't kick her out, James. That would be horrible." Lily scolds him.

"Which is why we need a real estate agent. I love my mum, but I honestly don't want to live with her during our honeymoon phase." James says, wriggling his eyebrows seductively at her.

Lily laughs at this, thinking he has a very valid point.

* * *

"Please take a seat, Mrs. Crippo will be right with you." The receptionist says when James and Lily enter the small office.

"What kind of flat are we looking for then?" Lily asks James as she flips through a magazine.

"We aren't looking for a flat, Lily. We're looking for a house." He corrects her.

"A house, James?" She asks flabbergasted. "Why do you need a house? You already have a whole Manor and a beach house in France!" She points out.

"We, love, we have a Manor and a beach house in France and _we're_ looking for a new house. I just thought it would be more comfortable to be in a house. You've seen how small flats are. Look at Padfoot's, his is even one of the nicer ones and his living room acts as his garage as well." James says, reminding her of how Sirius uses his living room to repair motorbikes.

"We don't need a house, James. We don't need all that space. Sirius has two bedrooms, that's where all his space went. We only need the one room. A flat will be fine for us." She says, as if laying down the law.

James chuckles. "Fine love, if you insist we will look at flats instead of houses."

"Thank you."

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I'm delighted to finally meet you." A very tall woman says as she enters the small waiting area. "And this must be your fiancé. Pleasure to meet you, Miss." The woman says shaking hands with Lily as well.

"Please, call me Lily." Lily says with a small smile.

"Of course dear, why don't you come back to my office and we'll discuss what you're looking for." She says and leads them back to the second room and waves for them to take a seat.

"Now, I know in your floo call Mr. Potter you said that you were looking for a house in the West Country. Is that still correct?"

"Well, that is what I was hoping for, but my fiancé actually wants to look at flats here in London." James says glancing sideways at Lily. She nods happily at him.

Ester purses her lips at that news, obviously displeased. James supposes her commission on a flat will be significantly less than it would be on a house.

"Well, let me see what I can find for you here." She says and waves her wand. Stacks of paper begin sorting themselves and when they finished a small pile lay in front of her.

"Here are my top choices for you. All of them are here in London and have the best protective spells on them that the Ministry can offer. Two are in Diagon Alley, one is just off, and the last is actually just outside of the Leaky Cauldron in Muggle London, but I promise you that it too lives up to the standards that you are looking for." She says smiling.

"Can we look at them today?" Lily asks timidly.

"Of course, dear!" Ester says happily picking up her files. "We can go right now, all of them are in walking distance from my office and I promise, you will not be disappointed."

Lily leaves the office first and when he can hear her chatting with the receptionist he turns back to Ester. "Do you still have the files on the houses you owled me?" He asks her.

"Of course, right here." She says summoning the files to herself.

James quickly flips through them and pulls one out of the stack. "Right, when we are all finished looking at the flats, insist that we see this house." He tells her and she grins wickedly at him.

"She's a lucky one, your fiancé. If only my first husband spoiled me the way you spoil her, we'd still be together."

James chuckles at that and follows Lily out of the office.

-L-3-J-

After two hours of looking at the flats Ester had picked out for them, James can tell Lily hadn't fallen in love with any of them.

She looked around interestedly, and nodded and smiled as Ester spoke, but he could see it in her eyes that she didn't feel at home in any of them. She didn't have that look in her eye that he had seen whenever she walked into Potter Manor.

"What do you think, love?" He asks her.

"Well, this one is a lot better than the last three." She reasons wondering around the large kitchen. "But, it won't be ready until the fourteenth, which isn't exactly ideal."

"No, not ideal at all." James agrees, that would be a week after they're married.

"I do have one more, Lily. If you'd like I can show you." Ester says with a smile. "It's not in London though. It's in the West Country."

Lily looks over at James who shrugs and she nods. "Sure, let's go."

"Wonderful, why don't you hold on, I'll side-along you." She says happily as they each take and arm and Ester apparates them to the woods just outside a village.

"This my lovely young couple, is the village of Godric's Hollow." She announces as they slowly walk up the path into the village. "It is a Muggle village that has played home to several wizarding families throughout the ages. Godric Gryffindor himself was born in this very village." She announces proudly.

James watches Lily's eyes light up at that information and he reaches over to grab her hand. "Cozy little village, isn't it."

"Yes, very beautiful. I can't believe they have flats in this place."

"They actually don't have flats. The next property I am going to show you is a cottage." Aster says over her shoulder to them.

James quickly points out the large war memorial in the town square to distract her from the fact that they will be looking at a house instead of a flat.

"This is also the village that noted historian Bathilda Bagshot calls home." Ester tells them as they take a left on Whetstone Way.

"It's such a lovely village." Lily says as they watch children playing outside their homes while their parents tend to the garden or wash their cars.

"Ah, here we are. Number forty-eight." Ester says and pulls out her wand to tap on the gate.

James looks up and smiles at the cottage. The brick house trimmed with a brown color making it stand out from its neighbors. The walkway up to the front porch is lined with beautiful white daisies. It seems much smaller than the Manor but looks larger than Lily's parents' home.

When Ester opens the door James lets Lily walk in ahead of him. He watches her look around in awe. "This is the entry way obviously, through there is the office, and through that archway is the living room. Down the hall here is the dining room. Those French doors lead out onto the back patio. The kitchen is through this door here." Ester says walking them around the downstairs of the house.

"As you can see it's nicely decorated, but of course you can change it to your fit your fancy. Both the living room and the office have fireplaces that are already connected to the floo network."

James looks over at Lily as she examines the kitchen and he sees that look in her eye that had been missing when they visited all those flats. She looks at home.

James walks over to her, wraps his arms around her waist and leans his head on her shoulder. "Do we even need to see the upstairs, love?" He asks with a smile on his face.

"I would like to see how many bedrooms it has." She says, sounding curious.

"This is a three bedroom home with two and a half baths. This right here is the half bathroom." Ester says opening a door off the main hallway to reveal a decent sized bathroom. "And the master bedroom of course has its own bath. The third bathroom is in-between the two guest rooms upstairs." She explains leading them back up to the entryway and up the wide open staircase to the second floor.

James and Lily follow looking around at the house in wonder.

"This room would be wonderful guest room. You have the beautiful view and comfortable window seat. Then the spare bathroom." She says showing them the spacious bathroom. "And this room would be wonderful for another guest room, or even perhaps a nursery." She says, giving Lily a secret smile and a wink that James notices.

"And finally we come to the Master Bedroom." Ester says to cover up the awkward moment she had just caused. "As you can see the view of the back garden is spectacular and the spacious closets have extending charms on them. And through that door is the master bathroom."

Lily opens the door to the large room with a glass shower and large bathtub made for two.

"James." Lily says, turning to look at him and he smiles down at her happily.

"Ester, would you please draw up the paperwork. The future Mrs. Potter has found her home."

"Of course. And in case you were wondering, the house is move-in ready. What will be the method of payment?" Ester asks.

"You can transfer the money from our Gringotts vault." James says.

"Wonderful, the amount is as listed plus a fifteen percent assistance fee for my services which will also be taken from your Gringotts vault." Ester tells him showing them the file on the house, including the original listing price and her fees.

"That seems fair, wouldn't you say Lily?" He asks turning to Lily to see her staring awestruck at the papers before she nods slowly.

"Perfect. All I'll need then is your signature and the place is yours." Ester says happily. "I will have the paperwork to you tomorrow morning." She heads downstairs then to floo call her assistant and have her get the paperwork ready, giving Lily and James a moment to themselves.

"How did you know?" Lily asks, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Know what?"

"That I'd love this house."

"I just had a feeling. When Ester sent me the files originally this house stood out to me. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I knew you had to see it." He explains.

"Are you sure you're alright with this? You're buying a house, James. This is a much larger purchase than a necklace or a broomstick."

"_We're_ buying a house, Lily. This is your money too. If you think it's too much than we can keep looking. But I can assure you that we can afford it."

"How much were those flats we were looking at?"

"Does it matter when we wouldn't have felt at home there?" He asks seriously. "I can already tell you feel at home here, love. I can see it in your eyes, you love this place as much as I do."

"We can feel at home in other places." She says, and he knows she's avoiding admitting that she loves it.

"The only other place I've seen you look this at home is at the Manor, not even your parents' house gives you that look. Not even Hogwarts. And since we won't be moving into the Manor for a few years at least, I don't see why we shouldn't live somewhere that makes us feel just as at home." He explains as if it were obvious.

"It seems silly to spend this much on a house when we are just going to move out to live in the Manor." She says and he can tell that he has won, he probably won the moment she saw the village.

"Lily, we're buying this house. We both love it, it's perfect for us. And when we move to the Manor we can give it to Moony or maybe keep it to use for our own getaways." He reasons.

"We're buying a house." She whispers.

"We're buying a house." He confirms, moving closer to her.

"I love you, James." She tells him before pulling him down for a kiss.

-L-3-J-

James knocks lightly on Lily's bedroom door. He had apparated quite precisely into the upstairs hallway of her parents' house. Luckily he can hear the sounds of the television coming up the stairs so her parents will not have heard his entrance. The time leading up the wedding seemed to melt away, and now it's only just the Saturday before.

"Come in." Lily calls and James enters the room, quickly shutting the door softly behind him. She stands a few feet away from him in a flowery sundress and some sort of heels. She looks gorgeous. He smiles as he closes the distance between them quickly and wraps her up in his arms.

"We could ditch, you know. Take the cloak and hide out until next weekend." He whispers in her ear.

She shakes her head. "They would know."

"Yeah, but we'll be long gone before they start searching." He promises. She laughs a little into his chest.

Tonight is their stag/hen night. James is supposed to be in his room at Potter Manor waiting for Sirius to collect him, but he had to see Lily. It's driving him mad not seeing her whenever he wishes. They haven't been apart for this long since the summer holidays the previous year.

"You better get going. Mary will be here any minute and she'll be fuming if she sees you here." Lily says, looking up at him with a small smile.

"I can take Mary." James says, squeezing her to him. She laughs lightly and rests her head back onto his chest. "Did Petunia decide to come after all?" James asks hopefully.

"No. She was thinking about it but when she figured out that she would be the only one who isn't a witch, she refused." James sighs, he figured as much.

He doesn't let her go, unwilling to move. She doesn't make an effort to break apart from him either. When they hear the doorbell ring and Mary's voice coming from downstairs James groans. "I guess I really should be going then." Lily smiles up at him as he gives her a kiss on the forehead.

"Behave tonight." She says playfully but James can hear the concern behind it.

"Don't worry love, we will." And with another smile he turns on the spot and apparates back to his bedroom at Potter Manor.

Before James can so much as move, he hears a voice scolding him. "You aren't allowed to see her today! It's against the rules!"

James smiles as he looks at his best friend. "Sorry mate."

"Come on, let's go. Moony and Wormtail are waiting."

"Where are we going?"

"My flat."

They both turn and apparate to Sirius flat in London. Remus and Peter sit at his small kitchen table, Peter already a drink in.

"What took you so long?" Peter asks.

"Prongs thought he could get away with sneaking off to see Miss Evans." Sirius says pouring himself a glass of the firewhiskey.

"What?" Remus and Peter chorus.

"You can't see Lily today, it's against the rules!" Peter squawks.

"Sorry mates." He says with a shrug. He doesn't have a good excuse, he can't even explain to himself his need to see her most of the time.

"Well, we're late now for Phase One." Sirius says handing James a shot. James drains it in one gulp.

"What's Phase One? Aren't we just staying in and having a drink?" He asks hopefully. He knows it is a vain hope though. Sirius has been planning tonight since James told him he was going to propose to Lily.

"Yeah, like this is going to happen, Prongs." Remus laughs.

"Prongs, this night is named after you! You have to take it seriously!" Sirius tells him. They all chuckle at both puns.

"Alright." James concedes and they grab his arms and lead him out into Muggle London. He knows his protests would be futile, he just sighs and tries not to think of the embarrassing things Sirius has in store for them.

* * *

Lily and Mary arrive at Beth and Barry's flat to see their friends Primrose and Annie already seated out on the patio.

"The guest of honor has arrived!" Beth says excitedly and leads Lily over to chair at the head of the table which they decorated with frilly pink pieces of fabric.

They put a crown on her head that reads 'Bride to Be' and they make her drink her wine from a glass shaped like a penis. Lily can't help but enjoy the frivolous fun. A few hours pass with the girls giggling and gossiping.

"Present time!" Mary exclaims and leads Lily back into the house where a pile of presents sit on the coffee table.

"Oh you didn't have to get me anything." She says.

"Of course we did. You're getting married!" Prim says.

"But you could have just brought them to the wedding."

"These presents aren't for your mothers eyes." Annie tells her wriggling her eyebrows and Lily lets out a giggle.

She is right incidentally. Lily's mother would have a heart attack if she saw the items that Lily is unwrapping. After several pairs of sexy lingerie that makes her blush, she opens a small box. "Marital Future?" Lily asks reading the label on the small pink vile.

"Really?" Beth asks excitedly and walks over to look at the potion as well.

"Prim and I went in to get it for you." Annie tells her.

"My aunt owns that divination store in Knockturn Alley. She was able to find one for me." Prim explains.

"What is it?" Lily asks. She never took divination like Beth, Prim and Annie had so she had never heard of the potion. She knows Slughorn would have never taught them to brew a potion based on such an imprecise branch of magic. She can guess by the label what it would do though.

"It's kind of like Shared Future Potion, only infinitely more rare and powerful." Annie explains. Lily doesn't know what a Shared Future Potion is so she just continues to look puzzled.

"This potion will show you what you and James' future is going to be like!" Prim explains.

Lily stares at the vile doubtfully. _How could this potion know what my future holds? _"How does it work?" Lily wonders aloud.

"Well, the drinker has to be engaged for it to work, so it will be useless after next weekend." Annie tells her. "And it just shows you the results of the impending marriage."

"Pureblood's used to use them when their children got engaged to Muggle-borns a longtime ago. But more often than not the potion would show the drinker happy in the future, therefore back firing. So they stopped being made. This must be one of the last ones left." Beth says smiling at Lily excitedly.

Lily is completely one hundred percent sure that she wants to marry James. There isn't a doubt in her mind, but the potion in her hands intrigues her slightly. _I wonder what our lives will be like._ She doesn't really believe in divination, so she won't hold too much stock in what the potion shows her anyway. "How far into the future does it show?"

"No idea, maybe five or ten years?" Prim guesses.

"You should do it, Lily." Mary encourages. Lily knows her best girlfriend feels the same way she does about divination so her encouragement is what brings the vile to Lily's lips.

"Here goes nothing." She says with a smile and tosses the contents down her throat. She feels her arms go limp and she slumps in her chair as the room starts to spin around her. The sensation is much like apparition as she travels through time and space.

The world stops spinning and Lily finds herself out front of Potter Manor staring up at the large house she smiles. _So we're living in Potter Manor. _A rush of sadness runs through her as she pushes open the gate because she knows that this means that James' mother must have passed. She opens the front door slowly, slightly scared of what she might find.

The entry way looks exactly the same and as Lily walks down the familiar hall leading to the back of the house she notices new pictures on the wall. Next to James' parents wedding picture is one of James and Lily smiling widely on their wedding day. Lily sees herself in her dress with James' arms wrapped around her and she can't help but smile. Next to it is her parent's wedding day and as her eyes slide over the next picture Lily does a double take. What used to be a picture of James as a baby has been replaced with a much more recent photo. The baby looks almost exactly like James only instead of hazel eyes beaming out at Lily she sees her own. _Is this our son?_ Lily wonders.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees movement and a small boy no older than five rushes past her. Lily can tell that this is the baby from the photograph and smiles at him. He has the same dark hair as James and tiny glasses are stuck onto his pudgy little face. A few seconds later a toddler, no older than three, comes chasing after him. Lily notices the girls red curls bounce around her head as she trips and falls to the ground. That's when Lily realizes that she cannot hear anything, but she can see that the girl is most certainly crying.

From the long hallway that leads back to James' parent's wing comes a tall man with unruly black hair and glasses slightly askew. Lily smiles at the older version of James. He has to be late twenty's or early thirty's and still as handsome and fit as ever. She watches him sweep the little girl off the ground and hug her close to his chest and whisper something to her. Lily abandons examining the photos on the wall and follows James carrying their daughter down the hall.

They enter the kitchen and she sees herself standing on the other side of the kitchen island. Lily notices slight changes in her own appearance. Her hair style has changed, she has bangs in the future and she can tell that beneath the apron is a very swollen pregnant belly.

James hands his wife the little girl and Lily watches as her older-self kisses the little girl's knee and then her forehead and then sets her back down on the floor where she immediately stands to follow the boy back out of the kitchen where he is now chasing a large fat cat.

Lily turns her head back to her and James' older-selves. He has his hand on her belly as he kisses her sweetly before leaning down and saying something to the belly. Lily watches her older-self brighten with laughter and smack her husband playfully. She sits on a familiar stool at the kitchen counter and watches as her older-self continues cooking with James proving more a distraction than anything else. Lily is strongly reminded of Boxing Day and is glad to see that not much has changed between the two of them. They seem to be just as happy and in love as they are now.

Lily follows James again as he rounds up the two little ones and leads them into the dining room. He sits them down and then helps older Lily serve them. She stands in the corner and watches her family of four, soon to be five, eat dinner. She watches older-Lily scold her son for trying to toss his peas at the cat and then catches James' amused expression. She can tell that their son has inherited James' sense of mischief. She watches as older-James smirks at older-Lily and she can see her face trying to hide a smile behind a disproving look. It's a look that she has been giving James since she met him and is glad that she never stops.

The scene starts to fade and Lily feels the rush and swirling as she is brought back to Beth's living room. She sits up and sees her two closest girlfriends cleaning up.

"Lily! Finally! You've been gone an hour!" Mary say sitting down across from her.

Lily shakes her head slightly trying to come back to reality as the last image of the little girl getting ready to toss some mashed potatoes at the boy swims in her vision. She smiles broadly at her friends.

"Prim and Annie had to head out, it's nearly midnight. They said they'd see you Saturday." Beth explains sitting down next to Mary and looking at Lily expectantly.

"Well how was it?" Mary asks. "Is there still a wedding on Saturday?"

Lily nods enthusiastically. "There definitely is." She confirms. "It was everything I've ever hoped for. Honestly, it was a wonderful future, I hope it comes true."

"I am sure it will. They are supposed to be extremely accurate." Beth informs her. This lifts Lily's spirits slightly. She suddenly has an overwhelming need to see James.

"I'll be right back." She says to her friends. "Just want some fresh air." She explains and sneaks out onto Beth's patio.

Lily conjures her patronus quickly, her happiness in this moment making it unnecessary for her to think of a memory. Her doe appears before her and Lily whispers for it to find James and deliver a message. When it disappears Lily returns to the living room to tell her friends all about what the potion had shown her.

* * *

James starts collecting empty bottles of mead and firewhiskey off the floor in Sirius' flat. They had gone to several Muggle clubs and bars before returning with three women, one each for Sirius, Remus and Peter.

A small scream comes from the bathroom where Peter and his girl are holed up and James sighs. He slides open the door to Sirius terrace and steps outside to drink in the fresh air. He sits on one of the lounge chairs looking up at the stars wondering if Lily is having a better time than he is.

James hears the door slide open behind him and Remus steps out to join him.

"Hey Moony. Where's… uh… Calliope was it?"

Remus chuckles. "I think that was her name. Doesn't matter much anyway. Her friend came running in just when we were getting to the good part, screaming that Wormtail threw up on her dress. They left together." He says with a sigh and James chuckles.

"How's Wormy?"

"Still vomiting, but in the toilet now."

"And Padfoot?"

"Still in his room. His girl stayed." James nods turning back to look up at the sky.

"You didn't have fun tonight." Remus says and James knows it's not a question.

"I was just hoping for a night in with my mates. Get drunk and talk about all the fun we've had, maybe talk about what the future might be like." He shrugs.

"Sorry about that, Prongs. We meant well." He says with a smile.

"I know you did, Moony. And in all honesty, if it were any other time I would've loved watching the three of you chat up a couple of birds, but tonight I just wanted some reassurances that you three think I can do this." He admits.

"Do what?" Remus asks.

Before James can answer a silver doe appears in front of him. It's just as beautiful as its creator. James smiles at it as it says. "Hi." That was it, just one simple word spoken in Lily's soft voice. James stares at the spot where the doe disappeared, longing to see the women who had sent it to him. It's silly. He had just seen her that afternoon, but he still misses her terribly.

"You want to go, don't you?"

"Yes." James replies honestly.

"Then go. I'll look after these two." Remus says gesturing back to the flat. James smiles at his friend.

"Thanks Moony." He says standing.

"And James?" Remus adds before James can disapparate.

"Yeah?"

"You're going to be a brilliant husband. Everyone knows how much you adore Lily. It's never been questioned." James smiles broadly as he claps his friend on the back and turns on the spot.

James walks up to Beth's door and knocks softly hoping desperately that Lily is still here. It's well past midnight now and if she had decided to go home he wouldn't be able to see her. It's far too late to apparate into her parents' house.

Mary answers the door. "I figured we'd see you sometime tonight." She says with a mocking smile. "She's in the living room." Mary tells him and James rushes past her with a hurried thanks.

Lily stands when she spots him smiling broadly. James wraps his arms around her tightly. "Hi." He whispers in her ear.

He breaks apart from her but keeps his arm around her waist as he turns to her friends. "You ladies mind if I steal Miss Evans for the rest of the night?" He asks.

"No, go ahead and take her."

Lily hugs her friends and thanks them for the wonderful evening as Mary loads his arms with bags. He reaches his free hand to Lily and she holds it before they turn on the spot. A second later they arrive in her room at Potter Manor.

James sets the bags down on one of the arm chairs and pulls her in close to him. They will have the whole night to themselves here. Her parents think she is at Beth's and his mother believes him to be at Sirius' flat.

* * *

Lily pulls away from James and smiles up at him. "How was your night?" He asks her.

"It was pretty fun. We just sat around talking and drinking wine, and then I opened some gifts." James smirks at her.

"Was this one of them?" He asks pointing to her crown.

"Ah, no, they made me wear that the whole time. You should have seen the glass they made me drink out of, it was rather embarrassing."

He chuckles and leans down to kiss her. "How was your night?" She asks him as she pulls away.

"It was so awful, Lily. I'm so glad you sent me that patronus."

"What did Padfoot do? Get you a stripper or something?" She asks trying to hide her jealousy.

James laughs lightly and moves to sit on the bed. "No, he just dragged us to all these Muggle clubs. The whole time trying to pick up girls and informing the whole bar that I was getting married in a week. Then they each brought a girl back to his flat and the only reason I stayed was to make sure they didn't try to rob Padfoot or something."

Lily snorts. "That classy huh?"

"One of them called herself Pixie. I wish she knew what pixies were really like. Actually, she sort of was like a pixie." He says and they both laughed for a moment. "So what did they get you?" James asks pointing to the bags on the chair. Lily smiles wickedly at him and banishes them to her room back at her parents' house.

"Those are for after we are married." She informs him. His eyes widen as he realizes what they must contain and she laughs.

"That is hardly fair." James complains to her as she comes to sit on his lap.

"How about a compromise?" She suggests and he grins.

"I'm listening."

"I will tell you about what Prim and Annie got me."

"If?"

"No if, I just don't want to scare you off." She says, smiling warmly at him and makes to stand up but he pulls her back to him.

"Where are you going?"

"Just to put on my night-dress so that we can get comfy before I tell you. You'll be less inclined to kick me out if we're already in bed." She tells him and he rolls his eyes at her.

"Lily, you couldn't leave this room if you wanted to."

When they're comfortable under the covers, James wraps his arm around her turning to face her. "So, let's hear if this story is as bad you seem to think it is." He says giving her a kiss on her temple.

"Well, they got me this potion called 'Marital Future'. Do you know it?" She asks him and he shakes his head.

"No, but I can guess what it does." He says with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yeah, it's not a very creative name, but it's a divination potion and apparently extremely rare." She begins and turns on her side to face him. "It can only be drunk by someone who is engaged to be married. It shows the drinker the future of the impending marriage." James nods apparently already figuring this much out. "You don't get very long though. Just an hour and you can't hear anything." She still can't figure out his expression. _What is he thinking?_ She wonders.

"And you drank it?" He prompts.

"Yes. If you don't want to know what I saw I completely understand."

James shakes his head. "Lily, I want to know. It's unfair that you know what our future looks like and I don't."

She nods and looks up at him. "Good, because I really want to tell you." She says with a smile.

She tells him how she arrived at Potter Manor and how the pictures on the wall had changed. She tells him about their wedding photo and he smiles. Then she tells him about the boy with his hair and her eyes with glasses. He doesn't interrupt as she tells him how the boy came around the corner followed by the little girl with her hair and his eyes. She tells him how she saw him. How he came and comforted the girl and brought her to Lily. She tells him every part of the short view of the future right down the little girl poising her spoon to fling her mashed potatoes at her brother.

James chuckles and she is glad to see him just as upbeat about their possible future as she is. "Lily, that sounds like a wonderful future for us. Why would you think that would scare me off?" He asks. Lily shrugs. "Well, I think it sounds wonderful."

"So do I, I just hope it's true. You know how wooly divination is." They both feel that divination is a waste of time.

"Lily, I always knew that we would live happily together forever, we don't need some potion to show us that we will be just as in love in ten years as we are now. Hell, in fifty years when our little grandchildren are running around Potter Manor causing havoc, I'm sure we'll be just as in love as we are in this exact moment, if not more so." He promises her.

Lily smiles as she cuddles in closer to him and he kisses her forehead. "I will love you forever, Lily."

She grins as she looks up into his eyes. "I know. I'll love you forever as well."

"So, three kids huh? Man I'm a stud." He teases and Lily laughs rolling onto her back. He moves so that he is hovering over, hands poised at her sides. "What, are you saying that I'm not a stud?" He asks.

She laughs as he begins to tickle her and she squirms under him. "James, stop!" She protests between laughs. "Alright, fine! You're a stud! You're a stud!"

He falls onto his back next to her laughing. After they calm down Lily speaks. "I think I can live with us being like this forever." She tells him and he smiles.

"Me too."

They fall silent and Lily turns to look at him, smiling.

"What?" He asks.

"You're in my bed."

James turns to look at her properly. "I know." He says, confused.

"What did I say about the groom sleeping with the bride before the wedding?"

"Oh come on, Lily. I won't try anything."

She raises her eyebrows at him and he groans. "Merlin, the things I do for you." He says before getting up out of bed.

"Goodnight James, I love you." She says.

"Goodnight, love. Sleep well." He says and kisses her forehead before heading back to his own room.

* * *

**A/N – Well, I hope you like it :-) The next chapter will be the wedding!**

***In case anyone is wondering, I'm terrible at describing clothing. So, I found Lily's ****dress online and used the website's description, because honestly the designer can describe it a hundred times better than I can. Copy the following link and paste it in your browser to see the dress. :-)  
** www.  
maggiesottero.  
com/  
dress.  
aspx  
?style=S5229&page=1&pageSize=108&keywordText=&keywordType=All&attrib29=270&attrib31=280

**Anyway, thoughts and feedback and lovely reviews are always appreciated.**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N – It's not an April Fool's Day Trick – I really did update!**

**In case you've forgotten (because it's been forever):  
**_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

Lily opens her eyes to a still dark room and a stomach full of butterflies. She sits straight up in her bed, a wide smile playing across her face. "I'm getting married today." She says softly to the empty room.

She quickly pushes her covers back, too excited to stay in bed any longer. She opens her bedroom door and tries to be as quiet as possible as she sneaks down the hallway towards the guest bedroom. Not a day has gone by since she got her wedding dress that she hasn't woken up and immediately wanted to put it on. Before she can make it though, the hall light flips on and she turns to see her dad standing there giving her a knowing smile.

"Morning, daddy." Lily says, trying to sound innocent.

"What are you doing up, Lily-Belle? It's not even six yet."

"I couldn't sleep anymore. I'm too excited." She tells him honestly.

"Well, why don't we head downstairs and I'll make you a cup of cocoa?" He suggests putting an arm around his youngest daughter.

Lily looks back wistfully at the door to the guest room. She's about to tell him that she wants to try the dress on one more time, but he forestalls her. "You'll be putting that dress on for the real thing in just a few hours. Come have cocoa with your old man one last time before he has to give you away."

Lily looks up at her father sadly. "You aren't going to lose me, daddy. James and I will still visit as often as we can." She promises him.

"I know, sweetheart. I know." He gives her a kiss on the top of her head and leads her down to the kitchen.

As he bustles around making the cocoa, Lily expresses all her concerns for the day.

"Lily, you need to calm down. Everything will be fine, your mum will see to that. She won't let anything ruin today for you. Neither will Martha. I have a feeling that woman would rather get hit by a train than let anything ruin her son's wedding day."

Lily laughs at that completely true statement. "You're right, of course. I just can't stop worrying. I'm so nervous." She admits.

"Why are you nervous?" He asks setting down her mug in front of her and taking the stool to her left.

She wants to tell him about the war, about Voldemort and his hatred of Muggles and Muggle-borns. How she's terrified that he and his Death Eaters will find a way to ruin this. But she knows she can't. It's for her parent's own safety that she hasn't told them about the war and her and James' decision to fight. If they knew, they'd only worry.

She's about to tell him about her less pressing worries, when a voice comes from the stairs. "I knew it! Finn, I told you this would happen!" Her mother screams from the top of the stairs. "The pressure of the wedding was too much for them. They just up and left in the middle of the night!"

Lily looks at her father in confusion as her mother races down the stairs. He shrugs as a response before the kitchen door bangs open and her mother bounds in.

"If she thinks that she can just –" Her mum breaks off when she sees Lily and her dad sitting at the kitchen counter drinking cocoa. "Oh. Lily. Good morning, sweetheart."

Lily and her dad laugh. "Mum, did you think James and I eloped last night?" She asks, still amused.

"I didn't know what to think. I went to go get you up and your bed was empty." She explains.

"I caught her trying to sneak in to put her wedding dress on again. Instead, I insisted she come down here to have some hot cocoa with her old man." Her dad explains.

"Oh, Lily." Her mum says coming over to wrap her arms around her in an awkward hug. "You're all grown up. You just graduated school and now you're getting married."

Lily helps her mum make breakfast, trying not to cry every time her mum stops to tell her about how proud of her she is, how happy she is that Lily is happy, how she can't believe how fast time goes by. When they finally set the food out on the table for breakfast they hear the front door open and close. Before any of them have a chance to call out to the visitor, Petunia walks into the kitchen looking sullen.

"Tuney! I thought your father was picking you and Vernon up in a few hours. I didn't know you were coming here first." Their mum says, walking over to her oldest daughter to give her a hug.

Lily watches her sister as their parents talk to her. She looks downtrodden and slightly guilty for some reason. She avoids Lily's eyes as she steps away from her mum.

"Lily, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" Petunia asks, still not meeting her eye.

"Sure, Tuney." Lily says with a feeling of foreboding creeping into her gut. If Petunia wants to speak to her in private that means she doesn't want her parents to overhear what she's going to say and that's never a good thing.

Lily follows her sister upstairs to her bedroom, which is now empty except for the furniture. She and James had moved all of their belongings into their new house in Godric's Hallow. When they're both inside the room Lily closes the door behind them and turns to her sister. "What's wrong?" She asks.

Petunia still doesn't meet her eye. She just stands, staring out the window, fingers playing with the ring on her left hand. "Tuney?" Lily prompts taking a few steps closer.

"Don't call me that!" Petunia snaps, halting Lily in her tracks. Lily doesn't know what do to. She has a bad feeling about this whole situation. "How did you know you wanted to marry James?" Petunia asks in a small voice.

Lily looks at the back of her sister's head warily. _What?_ "What?" She asks aloud.

"I asked how you knew you wanted to marry James." Petunia repeats.

Lily stares at her sister. "I love him, that's how."

"That's not really enough to marry someone is it, though?" Petunia asks. "I mean, I love chocolate, but I don't want to marry it."

"Petunia, what are you on about?" She asks, annoyed.

"I just want to know. Was there a moment when you just _knew_? When you thought to yourself, 'I'm going to marry him someday.'" Petunia asks, still looking out the window.

Lily thinks about it for a moment. Several scenes play through her mind of her and James and all they've been through. "Yes." She answers finally.

"Well?" Petunia asks, impatient.

"I was having a terrible day." Lily smiles as she begins the story. "James and his friends found me out on the grounds, we have this big lake you see, and I was sitting by it reading –" She breaks off. She was about to say, 'reading a letter dad sent me telling me how you tried to get them to bring me home from Hogwarts and send me to a mental hospital.', but that wouldn't be good to admit right now. Especially not after Petunia has seemed so alright with her being a witch since James sent her that letter.

Petunia finally turns around to glare at her. "I was just reading some course work." Lily lies, continuing on. "I was really upset about a grade I got." _When really I was upset that even after nearly seven years of me being at Hogwarts you still thought I belonged in a mental hospital._ "Anyway, James came over and sat behind me and pulled me into his arms. He asked what was wrong and I handed him the le – uh, homework. He didn't say anything at first, but I knew he understood why I was upset. He told me to stop worrying about it, that there was nothing I could do and that continuing to dwell on it would only upset me more." What he really said was that if she continued to dwell on it, then she really would be chucked into a mental hospital.

"Then he pulled me up with him and instead of taking me to down to the kitchens get hot cocoa, like he usually did when I was upset, he took me to our common room and he made me write a letter to my professor. He told me to get out all my frustrations and tell her exactly how what she did made me feel. I wrote nearly thirty centimeters and when I was done, I felt loads better. He sat with me the whole time I wrote it too and comforted me when I started to cry. He somehow had hot cocoa there waiting for me too. I think he made his mates bring it up for us. When I told him I didn't want to send the letter and that I wanted to burn it instead, he didn't even think twice about it. He just stood up, took the letter, and threw it into the fire. And that's when I knew."

Lily looks up at Petunia with a smile on her face. Petunia looks back at her completely baffled. "That's when you knew?" She repeats, confused.

"Yes. I knew in that moment that he would always be there for me. I mean, he sat with me all night while I cried and wrote a letter that I never even intended to send. But he sat there and comforted me and listened to me complain." She says, smiling fondly.

"You cared too much about your school work." Petunia comments as she turns to look out the window again.

Lily laughs, _if she only knew that it wasn't schoolwork that had me upset._ "Why are you asking me about this?"

"I just wanted to make sure you aren't under some kind of voodoo." She explains.

Lily snorts at that. "Petunia, I've told you countless times, James isn't forcing me to marry him. I want to be his wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

"I know. That story was too dull for it to be made up." Petunia says in a small voice.

Lily thinks it's anything but dull. "When did you know you wanted to marry Vernon, then?" She asks defensively.

Petunia doesn't answer at first. She just continues to play with her wedding ring. Eventually she turns around to face her sister and frowns. "The day I married him." She admits.

Lily tries to not look shocked by this information. "You didn't know you wanted to marry him until the day you married him?"

Petunia nods. "Don't get me wrong, I love Vernon, with all my heart. He's the best thing that happened to me. But, I wasn't sure I was ready to get married. That's how I know you're under some sort of trance. No one knows and is ready to get married this quickly. You and James haven't even been dating for a year. How can you possibly know enough about a person to want to get married that quick? I've heard things about this, you know. On the telly there was this you-know-what who made this bloke drink a love potion and he got real funny and did whatever she said. That's what I think is going on here. It wore off of the bloke after a few days though, so I suppose it must be longer for your kind." Petunia says, starting to pace back and forth. "But we can keep you away from him as long as we need to for it to wear off. Vernon and I will protect you. We won't let him near our house."

Lily watches her sister pace back and forth, spitting off all sorts of nonsensical ideas. She thought that when Petunia decided that she would be her Matron of Honor that meant that she was finally understanding of Lily's life, of who she is. Whatever James had said to her in his letter didn't seem to stick. "You're not alright with me being a witch and marrying a wizard are you?" Lily asks in a soft voice.

"That's the thing, Lils. You don't have to be a you-know-what and you wouldn't want to marry _him_ if you knew any better. I promise you'll understand when we get you into a safe place, a place where people aren't blinded by his spell."

Lily just stares at her sister in disbelief. Something finally clinks into place in her mind. "You never wanted to be my Matron of Honor did you?" She asks in a very quiet voice, sinking down onto her bed tiredly. "All the dress shopping and pretending you cared, that was all just an act. You were just waiting to get me alone to remind me yet again how unnatural you think I am."

Petunia comes over to stand in front of her. "I will be your Matron of Honor, Lils. I will. Someday. When you meet the right bloke."

Lily snorts. "I'm marrying _James_, Petunia. _Today._ I love _him._ I want to marry _him. He's_ the right bloke for me."

"Haven't you been listening? You're coming with me, right now. We'll go and get your stuff from that freak house he bought and then we'll set you up –"

"Stop!" Lily shouts and Petunia takes a step backwards from shock, looking at Lily as if she were deranged. "Just stop, Petunia." She adds in a softer tone.

The sisters look at each other for a moment. They hear footsteps coming up the stairs and a soft knock on the door. "Girls? Is everything alright? We heard raised voices."

"Everything's fine, mum. We'll be done in a moment." Lily calls to her mum and waits to hear her go back downstairs before standing.

She paces back and forth for a few seconds, trying to decide what to say. "You know my story, the one I just told you about how I realized that I want to marry James?" She asks, stopping to look at Petunia. Petunia nods slowly, looking slightly afraid. "Well, I wasn't upset over homework. I was upset over you. I had just found out that you _still_ wanted me to be shipped off to a mental hospital." She informs her. Petunia looks shocked by this news.

"James found me reading the letter from dad about how you pleaded with them to send me away properly. Dad said that I needed to spend more time with you, make you realize that I'm not a lunatic. But I should have known then that you'd never see that. James stayed up with me that night while I wrote you a letter explaining exactly how badly you've hurt me over the years. How your words and prejudice and anger have torn away at me. He let me vent out all my feelings and sat there the whole time. When I told him I wanted to burn the letter instead of sending it to you, I could tell he thought I was wrong. I could see it in his eyes that he wanted me to finally tell you how I truly feel, but he let me decide on my own. He's seen me cry over you more times than I'm sure he can count, yet he knows how much you mean to me and so he supported me when I told him I wanted you to be part of our wedding. I knew he wished I that I wouldn't want you as my Matron of Honor, and I couldn't figure out why. You're my _sister,_ why shouldn't you be part of the happiest day of my life?" Lily asks, not looking for an answer, just venting out her frustration. "_This_ is exactly why he was concerned about it. He knew you would find some way to upset me over something that makes me happier than I've ever been in my life. He didn't want to see me cry over you again!" Lily finishes her angry speech and looks over at her sister. She decides it must be a trick of the light, because she swears she can see tears swimming in Petunia's eyes.

"He's not normal, Lily." Petunia protests.

"_I'm_ not normal!" Lily responds angrily.

A long moment of silence follows that and Lily tries to calm herself. She's finally letting go of what she's been trying to get for the last ten years or so. It's time for her to stop looking for acceptance from her sister. It's time for her to realize that if Petunia can't get over her issues, then she shouldn't try to make her.

Lily sighs resignedly. "I'm never going to be who you want me to be, Petunia. I'm never going to stop being a witch. I'm going to marry James and be with him for the rest of my life, in the wizarding world. Mum and Dad accept this. They've understood for years that that's where I truly belong. I don't think you will ever understand that, Tuney." She says sadly.

Petunia doesn't answer and a look of slight disgust comes over her features. Lily nods as if this is all the answer she needs.

"Just leave, Petunia. You aren't welcome at my wedding anymore. I don't want anyone there who doesn't support us, and I now know that you never will." She finally tells her.

"Fine!" Petunia shouts, making her way to the bedroom door. "I was just trying to help you, Lily! But, I should have known that a FREAK like you doesn't deserve my help! I hope I never see you again, you've been more trouble than you're worth for _years_!" Petunia shouts before slamming the door behind her and stomping down the stairs.

Lily stands there staring at the door for a moment. _You are not going to cry._ She tells herself. _Petunia isn't worth it. Not anymore_. She thinks of what James would tell her if her were here. _James. _ Just thinking of him is all she needs to calm down. _Nothing is going to ruin the fact that I'm getting married today. In less than ten hours I'm going to be married to James._

With a smile Lily walks out of her old bedroom for the last time and heads downstairs. She sees her mother coming in from the front door where she obviously has just come back from chasing after Petunia. Her dad's waiting in the door leading into the kitchen. They both look at her with sympathy in their eyes.

"Petunia and Vernon won't be coming to the wedding." Lily says, simply.

To their credit, her parents don't question this. After a moment of quiet her father turns to her and claps his hands. "Right, well breakfast is cold now, so why don't we just head over. I'm sure Martha can find something for you if you're hungry." He assures Lily.

Lily smiles at him, thankful for them not bringing it up. "Let's go. I just want to be there." She tells them, just knowing that being in the same house as James will cheer her up considerably.

-J-3-L-

"Beautiful." Mrs. Potter breathes.

"Gorgeous." Mary agrees.

"Stunning." Beth sighs.

"Oh, my little girl is getting married." Lily's mum says through tears as Lily steps out from behind the curtain in her full wedding dress, Tilly behind her to help keep the train off the floor.

Lily just beams at them as she turns to the large mirror that Mrs. Potter conjured for her. She checks her hair and make-up once more to make sure everything is perfect, then turns back to them. "I'm getting married." She tells them, unable to stop smiling.

They all chuckle and Mary and Beth stand up to hug her. She can't help but admire their bridesmaid dress, pleased that they look nice on them.

"Your mum and Mary were telling us about this Muggle tradition for weddings." Beth begins.

"And we didn't want you to not have it just because you're a witch." Mary tells her.

"So, we all came together to get you something old, something new, something borrowed and something drew." Beth explains.

"Blue." Mary corrects her quickly.

"Sorry, I wasn't in charge of the blue, good thing too or I would've drawn you a picture." Beth admits with a chuckle.

Lily laughs at this. "Here, open it!" Mary says excitedly, passing her a little package.

Lily opens it to find a lacy white garter. "This is for James to take off later." Mary says winking and Lily blushes.

"Thank you." Lily says hugging her friends and then squeaks when she feels Tilly under her dress pulling the garter into place. "Uh, thanks, Tilly." She says, blushing even more now.

"Yous is welcome, Miss Lily. Tilly is looking forward to serving you as her Mistress." Tilly says and bows.

Lily looks flustered at this. "Right, well, we're supposed to be directing guests where to go." Beth announces.

"Can't the boys do that?" Lily asks.

"You know those boys, they'll just cause trouble." Mrs. Potter says and Lily smiles and nods. Her friends promise to be back before it's time and they head out the door.

Mrs. Potter stands up and comes over to Lily. "You should really be sitting down." Lily says when her soon-to-be mother-in-law wobbles slightly.

"Hush you, this is important." She says pulling something out of the pocket of her dress robes. "This, Lily, is the hair pin I wore on my wedding to James' dad. It was the hair pin that my mother wore on her wedding day and her mother before her."

Lily gasps lightly, staring at the family heirloom. "Turn around, darling. I'll put it in your hair."

Lily does as she's told and smiles as she feels it being tucked into her curls. "Thank you. I can't tell you what this means to me." She tells her, hugging her close.

"I love you, Lily. I'm so glad you are marrying my son." She says happily. Lily doesn't know what to say. "Now, I must go give him a talking to." She says almost sternly and Lily and her mum laugh.

"I suppose it's my turn now." Her mum says when the door is shut behind Mrs. Potter. She stands up and walks over to Lily, smiling brightly. "Here is your something blue, dear." Her mum says handing over a handkerchief.

Lily unfolds it and smiles at the blue stitched lilies all over the fabric. "It's not a family heirloom or anything. I found it at the store and thought that it would be perfect for your something blue one day." Her mum confesses.

"It is perfect, mum." Lily assures her. "I love it."

"I just want you to know, Lily, that your father and I love you very much."

"I know, mum."

"We have only ever wanted what's best for you. We are so proud of who you've become." She tells her and Lily smiles. "We were worried at first, about this whole magic thing. We didn't know what it meant, but now, seeing how much good it's done you, I can't question the decision to send you to Hogwarts anymore. It was the right thing to do." Her mum confirms.

"Of course it was, mum." Lily agrees.

"I'm just telling you this because you may be worried, what with Petunia's attitude, that there is something you did wrong. Maybe that you wished we never let you go to Hogwarts and learn magic."

Lily opens her mouth to immediately dispute this, but her mum raises her hand to stop her.

"I know you don't feel that way now, sweetie, but maybe, in those first few years, you might have." She says and Lily can't deny that. "But, I want you to know that you shouldn't have ever felt that way, and I'm extremely sorry that we ever _let_ you feel that way. There has never been anything wrong with you sweetie, never. You just have abilities that the rest of us don't have. Your sister knows that, I think, very deep down. She's stubborn and prejudice, but she does love you. I know it doesn't feel like it, but she does. She may continually disappoint you and it doesn't seem likely anymore that you two will get past all this, but I want you to know that it isn't your fault. You can't help who you are, and you shouldn't have to." Her mum tells her firmly.

"We love you no matter what. James does too, that's why we are so happy for you both. We never thought we'd meet someone we trusted enough to let them take care of our daughter. To whisk her away to a world we don't understand. But then you brought James home, and we could just tell that he'd be that man. He was the one that we could trust to keep you safe and happy."

Lily smiles up at her mum, unable to express her feeling at the moment. "I love you, mum. Thank you so much for understanding. I know it's hard for you and dad, but we'll visit as often as we can. I'll miss you so much." She says, hugging her mum close.

After nearly ten minutes of the two women hugging, a knock comes at the door. "Sorry to interrupt ladies, but I was wondering if I could have a moment with our lovely bride." Sirius says, sticking his head inside the room.

"Of course, Sirius." Her mum says, pulling away and dabbing at her eyes. "I must go find your father. I'll see you in a bit, sweetheart."

As soon as her mum closes the door behind her Sirius turns to look at her. "You look remarkable, Lily." He says sounding more serious than she has heard him in a long time.

"Thank you, Padfoot." She says, smiling back at him. "Do you think James will like it?" She asks, turning around in a circle so he can see all of her dress.

Sirius chuckles. "Lily, you could walk down that aisle wearing nothing but the veil and James would still marry you." He pauses to think about that. "Actually, I think that would be better, think you can make that happen?" He asks, dodging her punch. "Just kidding, Lily, calm down. James will love the dress." He assures her.

"I have something I actually wanted to ask you, Sirius." She says softly and he smiles at the name.

"Uh oh, this must be Sirius." He says, smiling at his own joke.

Lily ignores it and looks him straight in the eye. "I know you were joking when you offered to be both Best Man and Maid of Honor to the wedding, but it's what I want." She tells him.

He raises his eyebrows at her questioningly and she continues on quickly. "I mean, obviously I don't want you to be Maid of Honor, because you aren't a girl, but I don't want a Maid of Honor, I want a Best Man." She explains. "I know you've always been James' best mate and I know you've been his brother longer than I even could tolerate the pair of you, but over the last two years I've grown closer to you just as I grew closer to James. You see, I came to terms recently with the fact that my sister is useless and I was sad at first when I thought that meant that I didn't really have any siblings who love me. Then I realized you aren't a brother to just James, but to me as well. So, what I'm saying here is that I'd love for you to be my Best Man as well as James'." She finishes, trying to catch her breath and looking slightly embarrassed.

A wide smile spreads across his face at this. "Of course I'll be your Best Man, Lily. Merlin, you're not the only one with a rubbish sibling, why do you think I picked up James?" He asks with a smile. "Ever since you started to fancy James I thought of you as my little sister, even warned him not to hurt you a few times. Bloke laughed in my face." Sirius says indignantly. Lily laughs. The idea of James hurting her is laughable to almost anyone.

"Thank you, Padfoot." Lily says with relief.

"Course Lily, but I did come in here for a reason." He tells her. "Mary was telling me about this old Muggle tradition for weddings and, well, I wanted to participate." He smiles. "Mary and Beth gave you the something new, and mum got you the something old and your mum gave you the something blue, right?" Lily nods in agreement. "Well here is your something borrowed." He tells her with a smile.

Lily looks down and smiles at the small pocket-sized mirror that is his two-way communication with James.

"Obviously it's borrowed because I'll be needing it back once you're married. Poor bloke needs a way to call for help if you go bonkers on him." He says teasingly.

Lily smiles through her tears at him knowing how much this mirror actually means to him, how much it means that he's letting her borrow it. It's almost symbolic of him letting her borrow his part of James.

"Thank you, Sirius. This means a lot to me." She tells him honestly.

"Welcome to the family, sis." He responds, hugging her.

* * *

James looks up from where he's pacing as Sirius returns to the room. His best friend gives him a knowing smile and shakes his head.

"Is she here? Is she alright? Is she nervous? What took you so long? Oh no, she ran, didn't she? She realized how much better than me she is and she bolted, right?" James asks very quickly, continuing to pace.

"Calm down, mate!" Sirius says placing his hands on both of James' shoulders. "She's here. She's alright, she isn't going to bolt and she looks smashing." Sirius tells him.

James seems to deflate as his worries leave him. _She's here and she's fine. Sirius wouldn't lie to me. She isn't going to run, she wants to marry me. Merlin, help her._

"It took me a bit because I had to give her, her something borrowed." He explains and James looks at him in confusion. "It's a Muggle tradition, she'll explain it to you later I'm sure."

"Right."

"And she had to ask me for a favor." Sirius says.

James looks over at him. "What favor?"

"She asked me to be her Best Man." He tells him seriously. "She said that it took her a while to realize that I was more a sibling to her than her actual sister and she wanted to know if instead of a Maid of Honor, if I'd be her Best Man."

James heart fills with affection for his future wife. He's so glad that she and Sirius are as close as they are. "You said yes, right mate?"

"Course." He agrees. "I was actually really glad she asked." He confesses.

"So, Petunia isn't coming." James states sadly, knowing how this will affect Lily.

"No, and Lily told me to tell you that she's alright with it and will explain it to you later and to not let it ruin today."

James nods. "If she says so."

"Mate, she honestly didn't seem too torn up over it."

James nods again, trying not to let Petunia's stubbornness and idiocy affect the most important day of his life. "So, how does this work, you being Best Man to both of us?" He asks, changing the subject back to the wedding.

"The way she says, not much is different. I still stand at your side through the whole thing, but when you get to the rings, I hand her yours and you hers. Also, she said if I wanted to I could hold her bouquet. I'm still debating that." He says in mock seriousness.

James laughs at the mental image of Sirius holding a large bouquet of white calla lilies. "Where are Moony and Wormtail? They disappeared right after you left to go see Lily and I haven't seen them since." James says worriedly.

"Last I saw them they were in here." Sirius shrugs.

"Shouldn't we be getting down there?" James asks anxiously. "I can't be late for my own wedding."

Sirius checks his watch and chuckles. "We still have about an hour, mate. Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous. I just want everything to be exactly how Lily imagined it to be. I doubt the groom running down the aisle after her, apologizing profusely for being late, is what she's been picturing since she was a little girl." James tells him, trying to mask his nerves with humor.

"No, I suppose not." Sirius agrees. "But she probably didn't imagine her groom to be sweating buckets, and with how hot it is out there and how constricting these get-ups are, you'll be soaked through before she even starts down the aisle." Sirius says, pulling at the collar of his tuxedo.

James laughs. "They do look rather smart though, don't they?" He comments, turning to look at the pair of them in the mirror. Both of them are in champagne colored tuxedos, James' with a white cummerbund, tie and pocket square to match Lily, Sirius with an emerald cummerbund, tie and pocket square to match the bridesmaids. "Muggles know what they're doing when it comes to clothes."

Sirius nods. "I can't deny that all the single birds will be flocking to me tonight. Maybe even a few of the taken ones as well, might want to hold that new bride of yours close." He jokes and then ducks when James makes to smack him on the back of the head. "I was only joking, Prongs, you know that."

James smiles at his best mate and the door to his bedroom opens. Remus walks in closely followed by Peter, Mary and Beth.

"We have to get back over to Lily, we just wanted to come and see you first." Beth says.

"How's she doing?" James asks. He trusts Sirius to not lie to him, but they may have picked up on something that Sirius might have missed. Some sort of signal that only girls understand.

"She's excited." Beth tells him happily.

"Don't worry, James. She isn't going anywhere but down the aisle." Mary assures him.

They all laugh at her joke and James feels a little more at ease. "We'll see you soon." Beth says and both girls give him a hug before leaving to go tend to his bride.

"So, Prongs, this is it." Remus says, clapping him on the back.

"Are you ready, mate?" Peter asks.

James nods, unable to speak, and they lead him down through the house and out into the back garden. As they make their way towards the gazebo and James stares around in wonder. His and Lily's mums turned the back garden of Potter Manor into a beautiful wedding site. All around are white lilies and twinkling fairy lights. As they approach the clearing in front of the gazebo soft music drifts over them.

James spots his mother and Lily's mum standing at the end of the clearing just before the white silk aisle leading up to the gazebo where the ceremony official stands in the middle with a small smile, waiting to begin. As James and his mates walk over to his mum he glances around at the few people seated in front of the gazebo. There can't have been more than ten people in attendance. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall are seated in the second row chatting pleasantly with Mary's parents. Next to them is Remus' dad with his hand clasped in both of Peter's mum's hands. Seated behind them Beth's boyfriend Barry who is schmoozing the former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and his wife. Augustus Vine was best mates with James' dad. They had retired from the Ministry at the same time. When James was growing up, Augustus was something like a surrogate uncle to him, since his real uncle died before he was born. He was the only survivor of the attack that took James' father's life.

James smiles at the small group. Vernon's absence is glaringly obvious, but James can't say he is sad about this. The people he and Lily care for most in the world are here and he's glad they are here to share this with them.

"Better get in position Jamie, Lily and the girls will be heading down now." His mum tells him and he nods to her, walking around the long way to get up to the gazebo.

"Hello James." The tufty-haired official says beaming at him. "It's the perfect day for a wedding." He comments.

"It is indeed." James agrees and then turns his attention to the string quartet off to the side of the gazebo that's playing on its own. It's soft melody changes and everyone turns in their seats.

James watches as Sirius walks with his mum and Lily's mum down the small isle and helps them into their seats in the front row before joining James and the officiate in the gazebo. Sirius claps him on the shoulder as Beth and Peter begin their slow gait. Peter helps Beth into her seat next to Barry and then takes his in the front row. Remus is next with Mary on his arm. James can't help but be nervous now. Next will be Lily, Lily in her wedding dress on the arm of her father. She will walk up that aisle and say her vows and they will be married. Bonded for life. The idea sends shivers of pleasure down his spine. _This is it. We're getting married._

The music changes again and James recognizes the song as the one Lily played for him. The traditional song Muggle brides walk down the aisle to. His heart rate increases and his palms start to get sweaty. He looks up and his eyes meet the sensational view in front of him. His breath hitches and he can't help the wide grin that spreads across his face. She's here. She's walking down the aisle towards him. _Lily._ It's really her. Her, in her flawless white gown with perfect touches of gold. Her, with her cascading red hair that shines even underneath her lacy veil. Her, with her bright green eyes that twinkle as they meet his. Her, with her wonderful smile that seems to make an already bright day sparkle with happiness. _Lily. My Lily._

For the first time in his life James is truly angry at his father for passing down his poor vision to him, because he's sure that seeing Lily through his glasses doesn't do her justice. Lily in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle to marry _him_, is the most spectacular sight he thinks he'll ever witness, and he's angry that he doesn't have perfect vision to see it in.

She's at the end of the aisle now and James walks down the few steps to meet her and her father. "You take care of my little girl, James." He says and he unwraps Lily's arm from his own and places her hand in James'.

"I will, sir." James promises. _Of course I will._

Lily beams at him and he returns the smile as he helps her up the stairs and they stand before the officiate. The small crowd lets out a tittering of laughter when Sirius steps up to take the bouquet from Lily. Lily turns back to him and he takes both of her hands in his own, unable to tear his eyes off of her face. _Merlin, I'm the luckiest wizard in the world._

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls." He begins in his sing-song voice.

James smiles at Lily and mouths 'I love you' to her as the man continues to talk. She smiles back and returns the words. He's sure he should be listening to the man talk, or acknowledging that both his mum, Lily's mum, Beth and Mary are all weeping softly, but all he can do is smile at Lily.

"Do you, James Charles, take Lily Anne..." James smiles at Lily and squeezes her hand. It doesn't matter what the officiate asks him to take Lily in, he will take all of her, forever, always.

"I do." He says when the man pauses. Lily beams again and he hears his mother's sigh of happiness.

"And do you, Lily Anne, take James Charles…" James smiles as Lily squeezes his hands right back. She's honestly the perfect woman.

"I do." She declares. And James feels happiness bubbling in his very core.

"Then I declare you bonded for life." The man waves his wand over their heads and a shower of gold stars fall upon their entwined fingers. "You may now kiss your bride, James."

James grins and with one arm he pulls Lily towards himself. He leans down and kisses her soundly in front of his closest friends and family. When he pulls apart he rests his forehead on hers and smiles down at her.

"I love you so much, Lily, always."

"I love you too, James, forever."

They turn then to their cheering onlookers and smile. James helps Lily down the steps and into a sea of hugs and well wishes.

-L-3-J-

James sits happily next to Lily on the small bench in the ball room. He wraps his arms around her and she leans into him.

"This has been the most perfect day." She sighs as they watch Remus and Sirius singing drunkenly in the corner with their arms slung over each other's shoulders.

James kisses the top of her head and smiles. "It most certainly has been." He agrees.

"I'm glad we had the small wedding we wanted." Lily confesses.

James smiles and agrees. Their mum's surprised them when they entered the ball room to find just twenty or so more guests waiting for them. While Lily's parents were around everyone assured them that it was because they knew this is what the happy couple really wanted, a small intimate gathering of friends and family, which is true. But both James and Lily know that the less people who know about their marriage, the better. It seems as if they haven't appeared on the Death Eaters radar yet, and they're happy to keep it that way.

"Are you ready to head home?" He asks, ecstatic that they share a home now.

"Sure, let's say good night to your mum and thank her again. Then we should check to make sure Tilly can get these buffoons in bed." She says gesturing to their drunken friends.

James chuckles. "Of course, love."

Tilly appears in front of them. "Tilly is taking care of it, Mistress Lily, don't yous worry." She smiles brightly. "Anything else yous be needing?" She asks.

"No thanks, Tilly. But we'll be gone for a couple of days. Could you please take care of mum? Make sure to keep an eye on her."

"Of course, Master James." Tilly bows deeply and heads off in the direction of Remus and Sirius.

James and Lily walk hand-in-hand towards his mother. Lily's parents had left an hour or so ago with many well wishes and tears. "We're going to head home, mum. Thank you again for all of this." James says gesturing around to beautifully decorated room.

"Yes, thank you, mum. We are so grateful for all of this."

"Of course, dears, of course. Don't be strangers now." She reminds them between hugs and kisses.

After their final goodbyes James and Lily head for the door, smiling happily. They apparate to the safe spot just outside of their village and walk arm-in-arm down the deserted streets towards their cottage. When they reach the gate James stops Lily and picks her up in his arms. She laughs as he carries her over the threshold of their home for the first time as a married couple, the way Muggles do.

"How did you know to do that?" Lily asks, still smiling brightly as he carries her up to their bedroom.

"Your dad told me about it. I asked him for all the Muggle traditions. I didn't want you to miss out on anything."

"You're the most wonderful husband."

He grins at her and sets her down in their bedroom before turning to shut the door behind him. He turns back to her, anxious for some ridiculous reason. It's not as if they've never done this before.

"Are you nervous?" He asks quietly.

"Yes."

"Me too."

"I have no idea why, but for some strange reason it feels like our first time all over again." She admits.

He grins at her, loving every single thing about her. "At least I'll be good at it this time." He says cheekily.

She grins back. "You've always been good at it."

He steps forward and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her up for a kiss. Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, he helps her out of her wedding dress. He groans when she steps out and he sees her pure white lingerie with a lacy garter round her upper thigh. He has no words to describe how she looks to him in the moment. His beautiful, beautiful wife.

_Wife._

"I love you." He tells her for the thousandth time that day.

She grins and waves her wand so that her dress is hanging nicely in the wardrobe before setting her wand down. James notices the items sitting next to her wand and raises an eyebrow at her. "Why do you have my two-way mirror?"

"It's not yours, it's Padfoot's . He gave me it as my something borrowed. I promised to give it back to him after the honeymoon."

"I want to hear all about that conversation, and what exactly a something borrowed is, but right now, I can't focus on much else but ravishing my gorgeous wife."

She smiles coyly at him and grabs his hand in hers and leads him to their large king sized bed. "Well, let's christen our marital bed then, yeah?" She suggests seductively.

-L-3-J-

The soft light of dawn is just creeping into their bedroom when they finally lay down to sleep. Lily's back is snuggled up into James chest with her head resting on his bicep. Their left hands are intertwined as they both admire the rings on their fingers.

James kisses Lily on the back of her neck before whispering in her ear. "Good night, Mrs. Potter." He smiles before resting his head on his pillow.

"Good night, Mr. Potter. I love you." She responds, tucking their clasped hands into her chest and falling into slumber.

* * *

**A/N – They're married! :-) Sorry for all the clichés and sappy, sappy fluff in this chapter, but hey! It's a wedding and they're in love! :-) **

**And also, sorry for my absence, I have no excuse that is worthy of why it took so long. **

**Thoughts and feedback and lovely reviews are always appreciated.**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N – So, I know it's been forever, but you can blame it on Amazon. I got a Kindle for my birthday and therefore haven't done anything except read and work for the last month and a half. **** Sorry. :-(**

_Thoughts will be in italics._

* * *

Lily steps out of the fireplace into her and James' living room and looks around with a smile. A few seconds later the fire roars to life and James steps out. He sets down their bags before turning to her.

"Welcome home." Lily says and he pulls her into a hug.

"It's good to be back." He replies, leaning down to kiss her.

Their honeymoon to Germany had been wonderful, bordering on blissful. Lily can't remember a time when she had been so happy. James had booked them into a fancy Muggle hotel in Berlin. He'd planned out the entire two days for them, but they actually never left their hotel room once. Lily blushes slightly at the memory. It was exactly what they both needed. They locked themselves away from both worlds for two days and just spent time with each other.

"Would you like to have a late supper or just go to bed?" James asks softly in her ear, his hands moving from her waist down to her hips, snaking around to cup her arse.

Lily giggles and pulls back to answer but a loud pop announces that they are no longer alone.

"Finally!" Sirius shouts. "Merlin, where have you been?" He demands.

Lily and James exchange a confused glance. "Germany." James answers slowly.

"I know that you tosser. What I meant was; you were supposed to be back three hours ago! Moony, Wormy and I have been worried sick! What do you have to say for yourselves?" He asks, putting his hands on his hips in an exaggerated manner.

Lily has to stop herself from laughing at him. She can tell by his expression that he really was worried and now is putting on a show to cover up the true relief he feels at seeing them. "We're sorry, Padfoot." She appeases him.

"You're just lucky I decided to check in once more, I was on my way to Germany to find you." He tells them.

"You can go back home and tell them we're safe and sound. But, we're technically still on honeymoon until seven tomorrow morning, so if you'll kindly piss off…" James says and Lily turns and smacks him on the arm, giving him a warning look.

"What your darling best mate means, Padfoot, is that we're sorry for not telling you that we had a late checkout and that we should have sent an owl." Lily says.

"I may be willing to forget it, depends on what you brought me." Sirius says, looking pointedly at their luggage.

Lily catches James' worried expression as he pulls out the bag of souvenirs.

"Here you go, mate." He says handing Sirius the items they brought back for him.

Sirius smiles excitedly as he opens the bag. Lily watches as the smile slowly fades from his face. "Mini shampoo bottles?" Sirius asks, pulling the small shampoo and conditioner out.

"The Schlosshotel im Grunewald has the best shampoo." Lily tells him happily.

"And we know how much you love your hair." James adds quickly.

"Right. What'd you get Moony, then?" Sirius asks skeptically.

Lily hands him a second bag with a smile.

"Chocolate?" Sirius asks pulling out the pieces of chocolate from the bag.

"You know how Moony is about chocolate." James begins. "He's gotten so picky because he has to eat it all the time. We figured that a bit of the finest Germany has to offer would cheer him up."

"And is that why it says 'compliments of The Schlosshotel im Grunewald' on the back?" Sirius asks skeptically.

Lily looks up at James slightly concerned. "Since when do know German?" James asks.

"You lot forgot to buy souvenirs while out exploring, yeah?" Sirius accuses, ignoring James.

"We would have remembered." Lily begins to defend.

"If we would've left the suite at all." James adds. Lily blushes at his words and Sirius grins broadly.

"And what, may I ask, were you doing shut up in a hotel suite for two days?" Sirius asks looking as if Christmas has come early.

Lily knows her face must be as red as James' luggage as this point. "Did you have any particular reason for being here, Padfoot?"

The grin never fades from his face. "I'll forgive these shoddy gifts this time, but next time you go on holiday I expect a proper souvenir." He says, examining the shampoo bottle. "This better be as good as you say it is, Lily."

Lily smiles. "I wouldn't lie to you."

"Now, as I said before, we have about eleven more hours of honeymooning to get to, so…"

"I know, I know, piss off." Sirius finishes for James. "I'm glad you made it back. I'll see you lot in the morning." Sirius says and with a wave he turns on the spot and disapparates.

"Now where were we?" James asks, turning back to her.

Lily laughs and takes off for the stairs, James chasing after her. He catches her before she even makes it to the hall and he carries her all the way up to their bedroom, where they spend the last eleven hours of their honeymoon properly.

-J-3-L-

Lily stands over the frying pan in the kitchen, humming softly to herself as she makes breakfast. She's slightly nervous, knowing that today is their first day at the Order of the Phoenix. It all seems so much more real now.

She feels strong arms wrap around her waist and she smiles. She hadn't heard James come downstairs, too lost in her own thoughts. "You should head up and get changed, love. If I know Padfoot, which I do, he'll be popping in any moment to –" James doesn't even get to finish his sentence before they hear the pop and then Sirius calling out to them.

"You lot better not still be in bed, I don't want to have to come up there, but I will!" He warns.

"We're in the kitchen, mate!" James calls back to him.

"Smashing! I hope you're making those fruit things, Lily. Those are –" Sirius breaks off and lets out a low whistle as he appears in the doorway. "Looking good, Evans." He says.

Lily blushes again, extremely aware that she hadn't thrown on a robe when she had gotten out of bed this morning.

"Oi, stop ogling my wife's legs!" James scolds.

"Not my fault she forgot her trousers, mate!" Sirius says. "Makes me wonder if she's wearing any knick –" Sirius ducks to avoid the flying pancake Lily just sent at him.

"What'd you do now, Padfoot, it must be extremely offensive if Lily's tossing food at you before the sun has properly risen." Remus says as he and Peter step into the kitchen.

James ignores Remus' comment and turns to her. "How about I keep them entertained and you got have a nice warm shower and get changed?"

Lily smiles at him, standing up on tippy toe to give him a quick peck. "Thank you."

She makes her way out into the hall and pauses, waiting to hear their conversation. She knows that James is just as anxious for their first day as she is, but she wonders if the other's feel the same.

"You know, I never thought I would ever find a man's shirt sexy, until today." Peter comments.

Lily blushes as James responds. "It's not the shirt that's sexy, mate."

The others chuckle a bit and she hears them loading up their plates with pancakes and bacon.

"We have to be there at eight, right?" She hears Sirius ask.

"Yeah, round the Hogs Head." Remus replies.

"How many people do you think will be there?" Peter wonders.

"I'd say maybe twenty." James guesses.

"Really? Only twenty?" Sirius replies.

"I don't think everyone will be there. Most have to be out on assignments, actually doing to work that we will be doing soon." Remus reasons.

Lily nods, even though she knows they can't see her. They all sound slightly nervous, maybe even excited in Sirius' case. She's glad that she's not going into this alone. She has the love of her life and their three best friends by their side.

-J-3-L-

"Ah, hello. I should have guessed you'd all show up together." Dumbledore says, happily when the five of them enter the Hogs Head Pub in Hogsmeade.

"Morning, Sir." James says, shaking his hand. Lily follows with her own greeting.

"We have a private room upstairs, room seven. Make your way up, I'm just waiting for one more person before we can start." Dumbledore tells them.

James leads the way up to room seven and the others follow him. The room is dreary, even slightly depressing, with all the hangings over the windows closed, the only light coming from a few brackets on the walls. There is a long table set up in the middle of the room. Most of the seats are already taken. Seven empty ones are left. Five for them, one for Dumbledore and one for whomever he's waiting for.

James takes Lily's hand in his and leads her to one of the empty seats. Lily looks around and notices Professor McGonagall sitting close to the head of the table with tiny Professor Flitwick next to her. She smiles at them and they nod and return the gesture. It's good to see a smiling, familiar face. Sirius sits down on Lily's other side and Remus and Peter take the two empty seats across from them.

Dumbledore reenters the room then with a small man with white hair and a very eccentric looking hat. "Thank you all for coming today. As you can see we have a few new members joining us." Dumbledore begins, standing at the front of the table.

Most people turn to stare at them and Lily feels a slight blush creeping onto her face. James squeezes her hand a little tighter. She looks around at the faces for the people gathered and notices that most are smiling at them and nodding in greeting. She catches the eye of the man on Remus' right and feels a little shock of recognition go through her.

_Frank Longbottom!_ She remembers him from Hogwarts. He was Head Boy when she was in fourth year and he was all around liked. _Maybe this won't be as strange as I thought it would be._

"Let's go through introductions now, so that we can get down to it. James, would you start please?" Dumbledore asks inclining his head towards James.

James clears his throat, "James Potter." He says, as if unsure if he should continue.

"Lily Potter." Lily says to help him out.

"Sirius Black." Sirius states and there is a bit of murmuring that Dumbledore stops with a raised hand before nodding to Peter.

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Remus Lupin."

"Thank you very much, now let us introduce ourselves to you. As you know me, since I've been your Headmaster for the last seven years, I will skip myself." He smiles with a twinkle in his eye. "And you know Minerva and Filius." He says nodding to each of their former Professors.

"Elphias, why don't you start?" He says, and the man who walked in with him smiles down the table.

"Hello, I'm Elphias Doge. I'm a special consultant for the Wizengamot." He tells them with a smile.

Next to them a short man with a balding head smiles. "I'm Edgar Bones, Head Healer of Spell Damage at St. Mungos." He explains with a broad grin.

"Marlene McKinnon," begins the woman sitting next to James. "I'm a curse breaker for Gringotts." She explains.

Lily smiles as Frank nods at them. "Don't know if you lot remember me, I was a few years ahead of you at Hogwarts. Frank Longbottom, I'm an Auror now." He tells them proudly.

"And I doubt you remember me, but I'm his wife Alice, I was in his year at Hogwarts. I'm also an Auror."

"Course we remember you Alice, you got James and I out of some big trouble with Filch and…" Remus stops talking and sends an apologetic glance at his former Professors and Headmaster.

"Don't worry, Remus, we have no delusions that you didn't pull twice as many stunts that we didn't catch you at." McGonagall tells him. "If fact, we're sure we only caught you at a small fraction of your indiscretions."

Everyone at the table chuckles at this. "Which brings me to my explanation as to why these five are here today." Dumbledore says. "I have invited them all to join the Order and they have accepted. I believe that each and every one of them will be an excellent addition to our cause."

Lily listens raptly as Dumbledore runs through the standard procedures for these meetings, how this isn't really a formal meeting, just one for them to get to know some Order members and to find out their first assignments.

"I wish we had a safer place to convene, but this is sufficient for now." Dumbledore muses. "Right, on with it then. Sirius, Peter, I would like you both to shadow Marlene for the next few days. Marlene, could you please tell them what to expect?" Dumbledore asks.

"Sure." Marlene says, sitting up straighter in her chair, her long blonde hair falling into her face. "I overheard the goblins talking about a week ago. They seem to think that sometime this week there'll be a large amount of gold being transported from out of the country to be placed into a known Death Eater's vault." She tells the table.

"Which Death Eater?" Sirius asks.

"A man named Paul Travers." Marlene tells them. "He's a Ministry Official and we have had a tail on him for months, but we've been unable to pin him to any Death Eater activity until now. If we can prove that the Death Eaters are the ones moving this money, then we can turn him over to our lovely Aurors and lock him up in Azkaban where he belongs."

Lily smiles at the woman. She seems passionate and driven, the exact type of person you want fighting for a cause like this.

"How do we go about proving it?" Peter asks meekly.

"We trail him." She says simply. "You can't hide that amount of gold, especially not while travelling. We'll catch him at it, I'm positive of that."

Sirius smirks at her. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Right, Marlene if you would like you can go ahead and leave, I know they are stealthy enough with the way they've avoided detention for years, but let's try to train them to know what to look for." Dumbledore says.

Marlene nods and stands up and motions for Sirius and Peter to follow her. When the door to their meeting room is closed again, Dumbledore turns to Remus with a sad smile.

"Remus, I know we discussed this privately before term ended, but are you willing to now discuss it with others?" Dumbledore asks.

"Of course, sir, I'm ready." Remus assures him.

Lily looks back and forth between them, knowing what's coming.

"Edgar, I believe I mentioned to you last week that I needed you to acquire the Wolfsbane potion for me. Were you able to?"

"Yes, Albus. I have it back home; I got enough to last for three months." Edgar replies.

"Well, Remus will need it." Dumbledore says.

It takes a moment for that information to settle in with Edgar, Elphias, Alice and Frank. Lily's a little anxious as to how they'll react to knowing that they've been in the same room with a werewolf for the last hour or so and for Frank and Alice, in the same school for years.

"Remus, you're a werewolf?" Alice asks kindly, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look at him.

"Yes, I was very young when I was bitten." He explains slowly.

Frank reaches over, and for a wild moment Lily thinks that he's going to push Remus away from him and his wife. But, he reaches out and pats Remus on the back in a friendly way.

"I can't believe I never figured that out, mate. Every month you disappeared, and I never realized." Frank says, amazed.

"Don't worry Frank, it took me the better part of six years to figure it out and I saw him every day." Lily says consolingly.

Alice chuckles. "Everyone in Hufflepuff used to think you snuck out to take care of the illegal dragons you four were breeding in the Forbidden Forest."

"See!" Lily says tugging on James' arm. "It wasn't just me who thought that!"

Everyone at the table chuckles at this news. "No illegal dragon breeding, just a best mate who happens to go a bit wolfy every month." James says.

"Precisely what we are aiming to prevent, James." Dumbledore tells them. "Well, not entirely, we won't be able to stop the change, Remus. But we can make sure that your mind stays with you while you change. Edgar, if you could please take him and show him the Wolfsbane potion and explain to him how it's meant to work. Then I would very much like to see you back here Remus, to discuss a few more details." Dumbledore instructs.

"Of course, sir." Remus agrees, following Edgar out of the room.

Lily watches him go forlornly. She knows what the rest of his task will entail, and she hopes that Dumbledore knows what he's doing. _Poor Remus, hasn't he been through enough already?_

"Frank, Alice, I believe as you've said you remember Lily and James from your Hogwarts days." Dumbledore says.

"Course we do." Alice says with a smile. "Still can't believe you two ended up married." She says shaking her head.

"I still have trouble believing it." James says, smiling fondly at Lily.

Lily returns the smile. "I'm glad to see you two ended up together as well, you were the Hogwarts Golden Couple for years. I didn't know you both went on to train as Aurors."

"It was an easy decision for us." Frank says, smiling at his wife lovingly. Lily gets the feeling that there's more to their story than they're letting on, but she doesn't want to pry.

"Lily, I would very much like you to shadow Alice for a few weeks. She has been busy trying to recruit more members for the last couple months and I believe that you will be very helpful with that." Dumbledore explains with a smile.

Lily nods in agreement and James squeezes her hand. "James, I need you with Elphias for a bit. He's been working on some international contacts in Spain and one of them happens to be a former colleague of your father's. I think you will be best fit there for right now." Dumbledore explains.

"What's the contact's name?" James asks Elphias.

"Esteban Baez."

"It sounds familiar, but I don't know if I remember him."

"That's alright. I will brief you on him." Elphias assures him.

"Well, I believe that is it for today. I will contact you all to let you know when we will meet again. Good luck, Lily, James." Dumbledore says.

Frank and Alice gesture for Lily and James to follow them out of the room and back down the pub. "Elphias will want you back up there in a few moments James, so he can side-along you to his house, but Lily, you should come with me." Alice says, smiling at them.

James gives Lily and uneasy smile and pulls her into him. "Be safe, love. I'll see you at home tonight." He promises her.

"You too." Lily replies lamely. She doesn't know why it's so hard to part ways. She knew they'd have to, knew they couldn't go on every assignment together. "I love you." She whispers in his ear.

He grins at her and gives her a quick peck. "You too." He says cheekily, before going upstairs and disappearing from sight.

-J-3-L-

It's been a little over two weeks since their first meeting and Lily and James have been working well on their respective assignments. They just arrived home from their second meeting, happy for the rest of the afternoon and evening off.

"I'm exhausted." James says, leaning forward to rest his head on Lily's shoulder.

"Me too, I was thinking about making lunch, but now all I want to do is rest." Lily tells him, stroking his hair absentmindedly.

"Let's go then. We'll take a quick nap and make dinner when we get up." James suggests.

Lily agrees happily when a loud crack comes from the kitchen.

"Tilly?" James asks in surprise when the kitchen door opens. Lily steps away from James and turns to look at the tiny elf.

"Master James, Mistress Lily, Tilly is sorry for intruding." Tilly says wringing her hands into her toga like outfit.

"You aren't intruding, Tilly, what's wrong?" Lily asks.

"Mistress is telling Tilly not to tell young Master James. She is telling her to not bother him and Mistress Lily."

"What's wrong with mum, Tilly? Is she hurt?" James asks.

"Mistress is telling Tilly not to tell." Tilly says shaking her head.

"What did she say exactly?" Lily asks, maybe they could work around her orders.

"Mistress orders Tilly not to say anything to Master James or Mistress Lily while they is busy." Tilly answers.

"Well then you can tell us Tilly, we aren't busy at all." James assures her.

Tilly still looks nervous. "Mistress will be angry at Tilly." She frets and takes a large gulp of air before continuing. "Mistress is looking ill. Tilly isn't seeing her this ill in months and months. Master James is asking me to look after Mistress. Tilly tries Master James, she tries." Tilly says, tears falling from her big round eyes.

Lily looks over at James worriedly. "Let's get over there. We need to check on her."

James nods his head in assent and he follows Lily back to the fireplace. The arrive in the grand living room at Potter Manor and Tilly pops into sight in front of them.

"Mistress is in Master's old study." Tilly tells them and follows them as they quickly make their towards his parents wing.

"Mum." James says cautiously as he opens the door. He stops dead and Lily nearly runs into him.

"Jamie dear! Please tell me you brought my beautiful daughter-in-law with you, not that I'm not happy to see you, but I do wish to get a woman's opinion on some things."

Lily steps around James into the room and brings her hand up to her mouth in a gasp. James' mum is always put together and presentable. Lily has never seen her look less than perfect, never. The sight of her looking so frail, with her hair fallen out in places, spots all over her skin, and her dressing gown hanging loose over her too skinny body, shocks Lily to her core.

"Oh mum." She says, stepping closer to Mrs. Potter.

"Oh I know, dear, I look a fright. But don't you fret, I have a friend of mine coming tomorrow and she can fix my hair up and get rid of the spots. I won't be meeting Charles like this." She says as if this will soothe her son and daughter-in-law.

"Mum, what are you on about? Dad's gone." James says sitting down in the seat next to his mother.

Lily follows him over and stands next to him, wondering what on earth is going on. "Mum, you need a Healer. Come on, we'll floo you to St. Mungo's."

"Nonsense, dear, I'll be fine." She says waving them off.

"Mum, we just saw you two weeks ago and you weren't nearly this bad. Your condition's worsening quickly. We need to get you to a Healer."

James looks up at Lily and she knows immediately what he means. She nods at him and makes her way towards the fireplace.

"Lily dear, are you leaving?" She asks, looking concerned.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back, mum. I just need to pick something up." Lily assures her.

She picks up a handful of Floo Powder and throws it into the flames calling out her and James' address, before stepping in and arriving in their living room.

"Expecto Patronum." She says the minute she's out of the grate, thoughts of her and James' honeymoon swimming through her head. When her doe appears in front of it, she whispers a message quickly and sends it off.

Next she grabs a second handful of Floo Powder and kneels next to the flames. She's never made a Floo Call before, but she's seen others do it. Sirius always complains about how uncomfortable it is.

"Edgar?" Lily whispers when her head pops into an unfamiliar living room. "Hello?"

"Mummy, look!" A little boy announces happily. "There's a pretty lady in the fire!"

"What are you on about, William?" A very pregnant woman asks, coming into the room. She spots Lily's head in the fire and starts. "What is it?" She asks Lily.

"I was wondering if Edgar is in."

"Is it Order business?"

"No, it's my mother-in-law. She has Dragon Pox and she's acting a bit funny. The only Healer my husband and I could think of was your husband." Lily explains to her.

"Of course. Let me go get him. William, stay here with her, please. SARAH!" She yells down the hall.

"Yes mum?" A girl's voice replies.

"Come sit with your brother! I need to go out to the garden and find your father!"

"Coming!" The girl replies.

A few seconds pass with the little boy watching Lily's head intently. The girl enters the room, with her long blonde hair tied into a plait, and she smile at Lily, blue eyes shining with interest. "Hullo, I'm Sarah. What's your name?"

"I'm Lily."

"Do you work with my da?" She asks.

"Sometimes." Lily answers evasively.

"My mum says he works too much, and that he has two jobs. Do you work with him at the hospital or at the other place?" She asks.

"I don't work at the hospital." Lily tells her. She's slightly uncomfortable, and not only because her knees are starting to hurt from the rough brick lining the hearth. This girl seems too mature for her age, observant and smart.

"Is this your only brother?" Lily asks, trying to change the subject.

"No, I'm the oldest of four, soon to be five, and the only girl." Sarah explains. "It's me and then Hugh, then William here, then Walter."

"How old are you?" Lily asks, shocked that she's so young and has so many siblings.

"I'm nine. Hugh is seven, William is four and Walter is two."

"Nine, not very long until you get to head off to Hogwarts then." Lily points out.

Sarah's eyes light up with excitement. "It's going to be wonderful. I've already read half of the books and my da bought me my first potion making kit for my birthday. I'm already on level two potions. My mum keeps joking that I will reach O.W.L. level before I'm even sorted. But that's silly because some of those potions need ingredients that I –"

"That's enough, Sarah." Her mum cuts her off returning to the room. "Please take William into the kitchen and fetch Hugh, I've made snacks."

Sarah nods at her mum, picking up her brother. "Will you come back to visit again, Lily?" She asks hopefully.

"I'll try, Sarah. Thank you for entertaining me while I wait." Sarah waves before disappearing behind the door.

"Edgar will be in any moment. He said he has a few potions he wants to bring with him so he had to stop in his office. Sorry for my rudeness earlier, I thought the sooner Edgar knew you were here, the better. I'm Claire." She says.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lily Potter." She tells her, finding it awkward that she can't raise her hand to shake the woman's.

"Ah, you and your husband just started at the Order then. Edgar says you joined at the same time as the werewolf he's helping. Such a nice bloke, he is, such a shame what's happening to him. Edgar swears that when this dreadful war is over that he's going to work more closely with Remus, find him a cure. Can you imagine?"

Lily grins at the woman, looks like Sarah isn't the only Bones who likes to carry on when talking. "I think that would be wonderful, if anyone deserves the right to be happy and normal, it's Remus." Lily tells her.

"I quite agree." Edgar says, coming into the room. "Mrs. Potter, my wife explained to me what's going on, I have a few different potions, but I'll need to see your mother-in-law before diagnosing. Can you take me to her?"

"Of course." Lily tells him and pulls back so that he can Floo through into her and James' living room.

When they both arrive back at Potter Manor it's to see Sirius pacing back and forth looking panicked.

"Lily, I got your patronus but I didn't know where to go. What's going on? Is mum alright?" He asks quickly.

"I'm not sure. Tilly came and got us and when we arrived she was acting funny and she looked awful. I left James with her to contact you and Edgar. She refuses to let us take her to St. Mungo's." Lily explains and she leads the two men to where she left James with his mother.

"Lily, thank Merlin! I don't know what to do, she won't stop going through my dad's files." James says frantically the moment she reenters the room. "Edgar, thank you so much for coming." James says shaking hands with the balding man.

"Of course, James, I'm happy to help. I'll go and speak to your mother, see if I can diagnose which treatment she needs." He says and moves off towards the filing cabinets where she's rifling through frantically trying to find something.

"Padfoot." James acknowledges with a smile as he pulls Lily into a hug. "Thank you, love. I didn't know if you understood, but this is exactly what I needed."

"I figured. Edgar was the first Healer that came to mind. I don't know who your mum's Healer is, or how to get ahold of them."

"It's fine, Lily. Edgar is better than whoever it was anyway. At least we know we can trust him." Sirius assures her.

Sirius takes a seat in one of the arm chairs in front of James' dad's old desk. James follows suit and Lily perches herself on his lap. None of them speak as they watch Edgar speak to Mrs. Potter. They can't hear what they're saying, but Lily doesn't like the way Edgar's expression has slowly turned stony.

After nearly a half hour, Edgar approaches them with a sad look in his eye.

"How bad is it?" James asks, before Edgar can even open his mouth.

"It's bad." Edgar confirms. "Usually cases of Dragon Pox in a patient at her age can be slowed down with the proper potions. It won't ever stop the disease completely, but it would give the patient two maybe three extra years." Edgar explains. "But, as your mother explained to me, she hasn't been taking her potions since the end of June."

"She what!?" Sirius and James screech.

Lily looks over at Mrs. Potter and frowns. _How can this be? We instructed Tilly to force feed her those potions if she had to! How can she just not take them? Doesn't she know she could have had at least two more years?_

"Since it has not been treated properly, the disease has spread. There's no way to treat it, well, none that will buy her more time." Edgar explains sadly. "Only to ease her pain."

"How long?" Sirius asks meekly.

"My best guess? Three days, maybe four."

James hangs his head onto Lily's shoulder and Lily has to choke back her sob. She has to be strong for him, for his mum, for Sirius. She can't fall apart now. James needs her to be here for him.

"Thank you Edgar, I'm sorry to interrupt your day off like this. We really appreciate it." Lily tells him quietly; unable to speak louder for fear her voice will break.

"I wish there was more that I could do." Edgar says. "If you need anything at all, please let me know."

"We will. Thank you." Lily tells him. "We'll have Tilly lead you back to the living room so you can Floo home to your family." Edgar nods as Tilly enters the room and he follows her out.

"Mum!" James calls to her and they hear her sigh. Lily stands up from James' lap, but keeps a restricting hand on his arm. "You knew!" He accuses, standing up. "You knew that those potions were the only thing keeping you alive. _Why_ would you purposely stop taking them?"

"Mate, calm down, yelling at her won't help anything." Sirius says from his chair. Lily can see the sadness in his eyes.

"You're basically killing yourself! Do you get that?" James asks.

"No, Dragon Pox is killing me!" His mum shouts back. "I'm just letting it take its natural course!"

"You could've had years." James reminds her weakly.

"Years that I don't need or want." She tells him. "I'm an old woman, James. I've had a very long, happy, fulfilling life. I don't want to end that life halfway. I've achieved everything I've ever wanted in life. I don't want to be weak and frail like I am now for the next two years. All I needed to know is that you'd be happy if I left you, and now I know you will be. All of you." She says nodding to Sirius and Lily as well.

There were many tears, and 'I love you's and hugs from that point on. James, Lily, Sirius, Peter and Remus all stayed in the Manor that night. They spent as much of their time with Mrs. Potter as they could.

On the third night, Mrs. Potter passed peacefully in her sleep. James told Lily that he wouldn't have wanted her to go in any other way. That he is happy she died happily, on her own terms.

The funeral is small and private. After it's over and Lily as finally seen out all the guests, she goes in search of James having a pretty good idea of where he'll be.

"I just showed Augustus and his wife out. They said they'll take care of the press release for the Profit." Lily tells James when she enters his father's old office.

He looks up from the parchment he was reading and she can see the tears in his eyes. "What is it?" She asks, going over to sit on the arm of his chair.

"It's my parent's will. That's what she was looking for in here when we found her. She wanted to make sure I knew that she wanted to give a healthy amount to Sirius when she died. It wasn't in their original will, it was added on." He explains, showing her the paperwork.

Lily tries to pretend that she doesn't find it to be an obscene amount money that Sirius is inheriting. She's sure James has just inherited at least twice as much. "That's great." She says, unable to think of what else to say."

"And we inherited everything else."

Lily looks at him confused. "You split everything else with Sirius?"

"No, you and I get everything else. Augustus said someone from the Ministry will be stopping by next week with our keys to the Potter's Gringotts vault. Also, the deeds to this Manor and the summer house in France have been changed into our names." He explains.

Lily smiles at him. "So, you own three houses now?" She asks cheekily.

"We, love, we. I don't know how many times I'll have to tell you that, but yes, _we_ now own three houses."

"Do you want to sell our house in Godric's Hollow and move in here?" She asks him.

James looks out of the window and is quiet for a few moments, thinking. "No." He tells her. "Not unless you really want to. I don't think I'm ready to move in here yet. I always used to imagine being older when I lived here without my parents. I think it would be too hard right now to walk around this big empty house and know that my parents should have been here for another ten years or so." He explains.

"I agree… I like our house in Godric's Hollow. But, what are we going to do about this place. We can't very well keep Tilly here all by herself in such a large house, she'll go mad."

"What do you think about letting Dumbledore use the Manor for the Order?" He asks. "He's said it himself several times; we need a safe place to set up a headquarters. Somewhere every Order member can go to feel safe. Why not here? It's already Unplottable and has all the standard security spells. Dumbledore can add his own as well."

Lily lets the idea sink in and she smiles. "That sounds wonderful, actually." She tells him.

* * *

James returns to the Order headquarters exhausted.

It has been just under two months since his mother passed, and about six weeks since the Order made Potter Manor their headquarters. Dumbledore has agreed that it seemed like the best fit. After adding about fifty more security spells to the place, he finally had Flitwick cast the Fidealous Charm, with himself as secret keeper.

Throughout that time James has met nearly every Order member now and taken and instant liking to quite a few. Frank and Alice, as the only other young married couple, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, brothers with the same good humor as Sirius and himself, Edgar, Elphias, Marlene, and a woman named Emmaline Vance. He knows with people like them on their side, the fight will be a lot easier.

James and Fabian had been sent out of the country to Spain and had just returned before dawn. They were to meet the contact that he and Elphias had been working with for the last few months and make sure that they got him back to London safely. It hadn't been as easy of a task as James had assumed and it took them nearly ten days to complete.

James sighs as he waits in the former ball room, turned meeting room, for Dumbledore to join them. Fabian slumps against the wall, tired, and the contact stands, looking around in interest.

"James, Fabian, Estiban. Please sit down." Dumbledore says and the three men follow orders. "Estiban I want to thank you for coming here. I know that you are risking a lot by helping us and I am extremely grateful. We will need you to give us your latest information at the next full meeting which is set for Sunday evening." He says and checks his watch. "I expect you will want to rest now, though, it's still quite early. We have a room upstairs set up for you and if you need anything there is always someone around or you can call for the house elf, Tilly."

"Thank you, Dumbledore. That sounds fine." Estiban says.

"Fabian, can you show him where to go? Your brother is waiting for you down in the kitchen when you're done, something about a mad bird and an angry husband. I trust you can calm him down?" He says and Fabian leaves the room chuckling the whole way.

"James, I must –"

"How is Lily, is she ok?" James asks before Dumbledore can finish talking.

"She is fine, James. She didn't see much action while you were away. She actually spent most of her time here helping draw up a map of the London suburbs for me."

James lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sir. I just… I needed to make sure before we continue."

"I understand, James. And I will send you home to see her in a few minutes. We must discuss some things first."

"I understand, go ahead."

After his debriefing James immediately stands. He can hardly contain himself as thoughts of Lily swim in his head. Ten days is far too long to go without seeing your wife. He turns on the spot thinking determinedly of his and Lily's front hall, but nothing happens. He tries again and Dumbledore smiles.

"Are you forgetting something, James?"

James looks at his former Headmaster in confusion. "Oh right!" He says, remembering that Dumbledore had put an anti-apparition jinx on the headquarters. "I forgot."

James can't run fast enough as he makes it down through the Manor and out into the fresh morning air. He smiles as he appears in the back garden to their home in Godric's Hollow. He barges in through the patio door. "Lily!?" He calls.

He hears her yell and a loud clatter comes from the kitchen followed by, "Oh shit!"

James laughs loudly and hurries to the kitchen. "What happened, love?" He says as he sees the floor covered in uncooked potatoes.

She doesn't answer him but leaps into his arms kissing him hard on the lips. James returns the kiss and squeezes her close to him. "I missed you so much." He tells her, unwilling to set her down.

"You have no idea." She says and he finally sets her down but still hugs her close. "I'm so glad you're ok." She says into his chest.

"I'm glad you're alright. I was so worried that you wouldn't be here when I got back, that you'd be sent out on assignment and I'd have to wait even longer to see you."

"I was here mainly. Dumbledore had me at headquarters pretty much every day. Emmaline and I worked up some maps for the new patrol schedules." She tells him and he squeezes her even closer. "I love you so much, James. I hate going this long without seeing you."

"I know. I hate it too."

"What took so long?"

"We had a tail. We had to lose them and once we got back into the country we had to move slow and keep the contact hidden. You'll meet him on Sunday, he's a good bloke." James tells her and he looks around the kitchen. "What are you doing in here?" He asks, noticing all the food being cooked. He hadn't realized how delicious it smelled.

"Cooking."

"I can see that, but why so much?"

"It's Saturday." She reminds him and it clunks into place.

"Right. Brunch. I suppose it's our turn to host?" He asks and she nods.

Every Saturday since they had left Hogwarts all the Marauders, Mary and Beth get together for brunch. Usually Beth brings along her fiancé Barry, and the others bring dates when they see fit.

"Yes it is. And Mary sent an owl this morning saying she's bringing her new boyfriend but Wormy popped by last night to say that he won't be coming because he got called in, apparently Marlene needs him at Gringotts today." She informs him, "So, the numbers should still even out."

James looks regretfully around the room. He had been hoping to just spend some alone time with Lily. "Alright, what do you need my help with?" He asks her.

"Don't be silly, you just got back. Go have a nap. They won't be here for a few hours."

James grins. "I would rather stay here with you and help."

She smiles and stands on tippy-toe to kiss him. "Then you can chop the potatoes." She tells him and he levitates all the fallen potatoes over to the sink and begins work.

Once he finished the potatoes, he turns himself to Lily. "Now, go get showered and changed. No offense, but you need a shave as well." He grins at her and traps her in his arms as he rubs his stubble on her. She laughs loudly and squirms away from him.

James gets himself cleaned up and changes into fresh clothes and returns to the kitchen. "I thought we would eat on the patio today." She says not turning to look at him. "It's such a nice day, probably one of the last before winter sets in."

She had changed while he was in the shower and was now in a flowery sundress. She turned to look at him and he could see just enough cleavage to make his mind reel. He couldn't wait any longer. He hadn't seen her in so long and she looks so tempting in this outfit. He crosses the kitchen in three strides and places one hand on her back and the other on her neck to hold her head still as he kisses her deeply. Her hands make their way up to tangle into his hair as she pulls him closer. His hands rove their way up and down her back as his kisses move to her neck and ears and she lets out a moan.

"Oh, I've missed you." She says and his lips return to hers.

"You have no idea." He says between kisses and lifts her up so she's now sitting on the counter.

Leaning forward kissing him excitedly she wraps her legs around his waist, pulling him into her. He knows she can feel his excitement pressing into her thigh, so he grinds into her lightly to let her know his intentions. He moves his hands up to untie the straps of the tantalizing dress when he hears the front door open and Remus shout down the hall.

"Hey Lily, it's just Padfoot and I."

James hears two sets of footsteps making their way down the hall and he groans. Lily too looks disappointed as he helps her off the counter.

"We decided to come by early to see if you need any help since Prongs isn't here." Remus was saying as James readjusts himself, both he and Lily still breathing pretty heavily. "Or maybe we should have waited." He adds as he enters the kitchen.

"Prongs!" Sirius shouts and pounces at his friend. James knows Sirius has no idea what he just walked in on but Remus is looking embarrassed and James is sure he has an inclination.

"No it's fine." Lily says smiling, but still slightly breathless.

"Yeah, it's good to know that you guys are looking out for her when I'm not around. Gives me piece of mind." He says, grateful for his friends.

"Don't let them fool you, James. They only came to sneak a piece of cake before the others arrive. They did it to Mary last week." She says.

"Hey! She gave us cake for helping out and besides, she lives alone." Sirius protests.

"And anyway Lily, we know you would never make cake, we want the treacle tart." Remus says smiling widely and James chuckles.

"Over there on the counter." She says pointing behind her.

Sirius and Remus rush over to the desert and start fighting over the biggest piece as the doorbell rings and James goes off to answer it.

"James!" Mary says as she steps into the house. "Lily said this morning that you wouldn't be here, said you were still out of town." She says hugging her friend.

"I made it back in time." He explains simply and looks at the man standing at her side. "Who's this?" He asks.

"Oh sorry. How rude of me? Keith, this is James Potter, I've known him since we were kids." She says. "James, this is Keith Williams, he's from the States." She explains.

"Ah, good to meet you Keith, welcome." He says. And before James could walk them back to the patio Beth and Barry come to the door. "Hey guys, come in." James says.

"Hi James. How are you?" Beth asks giving him a hug.

"Fine. Hey Barry. Whatcha got there?" He asks shaking Barry's hand.

"A bottle of wine for you and Lily. I got it for my birthday and I don't much care for it, but Beth says Lily loves it."

James nods as he examines the bottle. _That's strange. Beth loves this stuff just as much as Lily. They drink it all the time._ "She does indeed, but Beth why don't –" He stops talking as Mary stamps on his foot. He winces and glares at her.

"Beth, this is Keith!" Mary says to cover to awkward moment.

"Well, let's make our way back. Sirius and Remus are here already and Peter can't make it." He explains. James shows them out to the patio and goes back into the kitchen.

"Hey mates, go out there and meet Mary's new boyfriend, he's American." James says with a smirk, knowing Sirius will take the mickey outta him.

"What's that?" Lily asks pointing to the bottle James is holding.

"Barry gave it to us. Bottle of really nice Elfish wine. You know the kind that you, Beth and Mary have always been so fond of." He says.

"Oh that is nice of him." She says.

"Yeah, but why wouldn't Beth just keep it? She's crazy about this stuff and it isn't easy to come by."

"Ah, well, apparently Beth doesn't drink anymore. Barry told her that it is unbecoming of a lady to be drunk." Lily says.

James whistles low. "I wish she could see what an arse that guy is." James says.

"Yeah, well, there's nothing we can do."

"Nope, let's go get to know Keith, see if he's any more worthy." James says and helps Lily levitate dishes out onto the patio.

James sits next to Lily around the large circular table. As he finishes his food he moves his hand to rest on Lily's knee. He hadn't meant to start anything by it, but he feels her shudder under his touch and he smirks to himself and lets his hand make its way up her thigh. When he reaches the hem of her short dress she looks over at him with a blazing look in her eyes. He slowly starts tracing circles on her inner thigh with his thumb.

"James." She says, placing her hand on his to stop him. "Why don't you go get the dessert for us?"

"No problem, love." He says and kisses her cheek as he stands.

Once they are all stuffed full of Lily's excellent treacle tart, Beth stands. "Well, we really must be off." And James smiles and waves as she and Barry leave. They hear him commenting on how much she ate as they disappear from the back garden.

"That guy's an ass." Keith says looking round at the others. "Sorry, I know he's your friend." He adds, looking concerned that he had just made a major faux paw.

Remus claps him on the back and smiles wide. "You know, Keith, I think we're going to get on just fine." Everyone laughs.

"So, what are you to up to after this?" Sirius asks James and Lily.

"Well, James actually has some things he needs to finish." Lily says pointedly.

"Yeah and it's long overdue." James says.

"Business or pleasure?" Keith asks.

"Definitely pleasure." James and Lily say together and laugh. The others laugh thinking it's a joke but Sirius looks at them confused.

"We should head out, then." Mary says and Remus stands too.

"I'm off as well." He says. "See you tomorrow." And he follows Mary and Keith out of the house.

Sirius starts to tell James about something he read in the Prophet that morning but James doesn't hear a word. He's distracted by Lily's hand slowly creeping its way up his thigh. She stops just short of his prominent bulge and stands.

"I'm going to start clearing plates." She says and leans down in front of James so that he can see right into her dress, just enough that he can see she isn't wearing a bra.

He wants to throw her down onto the table and take her right here. She grabs the napkin off his lap, letting her hand graze over his erection. "Don't be too long, or I'll start without you." She whispers in his ear.

James watches as she disappears into the kitchen, hips swaying, not looking back. She knows what she's done to him. She must need him as much as he needs her.

"We should go play a bit of Quidditch, mate." Sirius says leaning back in his chair.

"Nah, like I said I have something I need to take care of." James says.

"You just got back mate, Lily won't mind if you want to just hang out for a bit."

James can see that his friend isn't going to leave so he stands up and walks around the table and picks him up by his robes. "Listen mate, we can hang out tomorrow after the meeting. But, I just got back from being away for ten days and I desperately need to tend to my wife's and my needs." He explains to his friend, beyond caring that Sirius knows that he and Lily will be shagging like rabbits for the rest of the day.

Sirius smirks at him. "Need help?" He asks cheekily.

James doesn't answer but drags him into the living room before picking up a handful of Floo Powder and throwing it into the roaring fire. He calls Sirius address into the flames and pushes his friend through.

He straightens his robes and makes his way to the kitchen where he can hear water running in the sink. He pauses in the doorway to see Lily scrubbing dishes. He walks up behind her and moves her hair out of his way. He kisses her neck as he wraps her arms around her. James hears the water stop running as he moves his hands down to rest on her hips.

"I honestly don't know if I can make it upstairs." He tells her, almost ashamedly, but it's true. He's currently contemplating which will be easier to manage, the kitchen counter or the dining room table.

Lily doesn't answer; she just turns around in his arms and unties the straps holding up her dress.

Eventually they do make it upstairs to their bedroom, but only after James has come to the conclusion that the dining room table is a much easier option after Lily had hit her head on one of the cupboards and he got his trousers stuck in one of the drawers.

* * *

**A/N – I don't know how to speak (or write) German, so if Schlosshotel im Grunewald means something other than the name of a hotel in Berlin, I'm sorry!**

**Your thoughts and feedback and lovely reviews are always appreciated. I would love to know what people are thinking. Even it's just angry thoughts about me for not updating faster. :-)**


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